Center for Civil Society International ([email protected])
Tue, 16 Jun 1998 14:06:06 -0700 (PDT)
CCSI presents excerpts from the Agency for Social Information
(ASI) e-mail information bulletin. Translated from Russian by
CCSI volunteer Alyssa Deutschler. For more information on how to
receive ASI's bulletin regularly, contact:
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AGENTSTVO SOTSIALNOI INFORMATSII
Kutuzovskii pr. 22 pod. 14a,
Moscow, 121151
Tel./fax: (095) 249-3989
E-mail: [email protected]
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ASI Bulletin Nos. 14 & 15
10-16 April & 17-23 April, 1998
In this issue:
I. "Active Ladies' Salon" in Novosibirsk Works to Help
Local Children
II. Nizhnii Novgorod Society for Human Rights Stages Protest
in Defense of Voters' Rights
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"Active Ladies' Salon" in Novosibirsk Works
to Help Local Children
Members of the "Active Ladies' Salon" of Novosibirsk have requested
permission from the oblast administration's Committee for Social
Defense to visit local children's homes and orphanages. Svetlana
Smirnova, director of the "Active Ladies' Salon," explained the group's
desire to visit the homes, stating: "It seems to us that children's
homes and orphanagees at the oblast level are in worse shape than those
in the city. We would like to visit these homes to see what they need with
our own eyes."
The "Active Ladies' Salon" was created three years ago as part of the
"Women Together" Association. All 40 members of the salon are pensioners
and have university educations. Among them are writer T. P'yankova,
author of the book "Siberian Tales," and N. Pozharnitskaia, member of the
Artists' Union. Although the group initially met simply to spend their
leisure time together and discuss life's problems, they weren't satisfied.
Now the ladies spend their timevolunteering at two local orphanages and a
day care center, as well as helping out a needy family who are raising
eight children.
The "Active Ladies' Salon" have collected food, clothes, bicycles and
televisions - all donated by area businesses - for children's homes and
orphanages. The ladies also helped establish a musical center at a day
care center with a donation of a stereo and 1200 record albums.
Additionally, members of the Salon organize monthly trips to the
theater and to concerts for needy children and orphans.
Contact Telephone: (3832) 23-6281
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Nizhnii Novgorod Society for Human Rights Stages Protest in
Defense of Voters' Rights
On April 17 the Nizhnii Novgorod Society for Human Rights began a
round-the-clock picket in front of the oblast judiciary building. The
group is protesting the refusal of local and oblast-level authorities to
consider claims against the decision of the district electoral committee
in the recent mayoral elections. The results of the mayoral election were
deemed invalid; however, wealthy entrepreneur Andrei Kliment'ev was still
declared the winner of the race.
Voters sent dozens of appeals to courts at the local and oblast level.
However, the judiciary agencies have refused to investigate the appeals,
saying that the issue is not within their jurisdiction. Thus, in the
opinion of human rights activists, residents of Nizhnii Novgorod have been
deprived not only of their rights to free elections but also of their
rights to seek redress for complaints against local authorities through
the court system. The Nizhnii Novgorod Society for Human Rights decided
that this situation called for extreme measures and resolved to protest in
defense of voters' rights. On April 17 the group set up a tent facing the
oblast courthouse; volunteer protesters occupy the tent day and night.
The protestors have based their demands for an investigation of the
mayoral election on the principles outlined in the UN Declaration on Human
Rights. Accordingly, on the first day of their protest, the group sent an
appeal to the UN Commission on Human Rights.
"At first, we didn't plan to try and collect signatures [for the
appeal]," explained Sergei Shimovolos, chairman of the Nizhnii Novgorod
Society for Human Rights. "But the citizens of Nizhnii Novgorod
themselves asked us to do so. The appeal is a demand that the
authorities respect the Constitution and the right of Russian citizens
to vote and be elected. Our picket was necessary in order to show the
authorities that just because there are no civic uprisings or
demonstrations doesn't mean that the people are indifferent and the
government can ignore the law."
Contact Telephone: (8312) 30-0714, 30-3998
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