Monday, December 17, 2018

IN SUPPORT OF VLADIMIR BESSONOV

20th International Communist and Workers Parties Conference

joint statement

In November this year communist Vladimir Bessonov, then a parliamentarian at the State Duma (CPRF) was convicted by the Court of Rostov-on-Don City on charges of use of violence against authority during his rally with voters organised with participation of three parliamentary opposition parties.
Five minutes before the end of the meeting, the police, under the command of the head of the Rostov region police, organised a provocative action. Specifically, police officers, some of whom were armed, aggressively and illegally cut off and broke up the rally being held by opposition representatives.
In fact the security forces made very serious allegations against Vladimir Bessonov, who was justifiably reacting against the authorities’ illegal attempts to break up the rally and finally he was sentenced to imprisonment.
Defendant's lawyers rightly believe that the Court has violated the significant articles of the Constitution of the Russian Federation as well as the ones of the European Convention on Human Rights. Moreover, it has disregarded some key evidences like videotapes, expert’s conclusions as well as testimony of of 53 eye-witnesses.
“Bessonov’s case ” confirms that persecution of a prominent, consistent and well-known opposition activist in Russia, is another example of provocation against those who has position different from that of authority’s aspirations. Ultimatly it is aimed at reducing protest and opposition activity in Russia as a whole.
The participants of the 20th International Meeting of Communist and Worker’s Parties strongly condemn that judicial persecution of communist Vladimir Bessonov based on allegations and demand the reverse of his unlawful sentence.

Athens, November 2018

Signed by:
  1. Party of Labour of Austria
  2. Communist Party of Belgium
  3. New Communist Party of Britain
  4. AKEL, Cyprus
  5. Communist Party of Estonia
  6. Unified Communist Party of Georgia
  7. Communist Party of Greece
  8. Hungarian Workers' Party
  9. Tudeh Party of Iran
  10. Communist Party of Malta
  11. Communist Party of Mexico
  12. Communist Party of Norway
  13. Communist Party of Pakistan
  14. Palestinian Communist Party
  15. Paraguayan Communist Party
  16. Portuguese Communist Party
  17. Romanian Socialist Party
  18. Communist Party of the Russian Federation
  19. UCP-CPSU
  20. New Communist Party of Yugoslavia
  21. Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain
  22. Communist Party of Sri Lanka                             
  23. Sudanese Communist Party
  24. Communist Party of Swaziland

No comments: