Before rallies like this, I always feel a little nervous. After all, the authorities’ behavior is so brazen, so humiliating. They did not scheme or deceive—they openly, demonstratively humiliated everyone who does not want to vote for United Russia. And you think: what if people do not come?
What if, even after all this, they still do not come?
They came. It was the biggest rally since the major protest wave of 2012.
I am glad that in our city there are people unwilling to meekly accept having their signatures declared fake and themselves declared dead or nonexistent.
The rally’s resolution: if within a week the rights of the independent candidates and those who signed for them are not restored, then next Saturday we gather at 13 Tverskaya Street. At City Hall.
Immediately after the rally, the independent candidates gathered and adopted the following statement. And, incidentally, every one of them signed it. Not a single one lost their nerve.
STATEMENT BY INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES FOR THE MOSCOW CITY DUMA On July 20, Moscow’s Sakharov Avenue saw the largest rally of city residents in recent years. The main demand was that independent candidates be allowed onto the ballot for the Moscow City Duma after being unlawfully removed by district election commissions. This demand is justified, reasonable, and fair. It must be met. We, the candidates for deputy, believe that direct responsibility for the political crisis that has developed in the city lies with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. We are publicly calling on him to meet with us to discuss the current situation. We propose that the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation hold an extraordinary session to assess the events unfolding in Moscow and join the demands of Muscovites. We declare our intention to hold a meeting with candidates for deputy outside Moscow City Hall on July 27 at 2:00 p.m. if, within a week after the rally, the independent candidates are not registered for the election. We call on citizens to remain ready to take to the streets and participate in protest actions. We call on Moscow’s municipal deputies (above all those from Tverskoy District, where City Hall is located) to take part in the July 27 meeting and help ensure the lawful rights of its participants. We invite representatives of the Moscow Public Chamber, members of the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, and the editors-in-chief of Russian media outlets to attend the meeting as independent observers. We call on law enforcement agencies not to obstruct the lawful actions of citizens and independent candidates defending their rights, and we warn the police against the unlawful use of force against people. July 20, 2019 Anastasia Bryukhanova Yulia Galyamina Kirill Goncharov Gennady Gudkov Dmitry Gudkov Ivan Zhdanov Dmitry Klochkov Maksim Kruglov Sergei Mitrokhin Lyubov Sobol Alexander Solovyov Elena Rusakova Sergei Tsukasov Roman Yuneman Konstantin Yankauskas Ilya Yashin