Moscow – Russian opposition movements appealed to the Group of Eight Wednesday to pressure President Vladimir Putin to end what they called systematic political repression, saying the country was increasingly moving away from democracy.
Putin, meanwhile, accused Western officials attending an opposition conference – intended to counter the image of a democratic Russia the government will present at the G8 summit of the world’s top industrialized nations opening Saturday – of interfering in internal Russian affairs.
“Systematic repression against the Russian opposition has become in fact the prelude to the G8 summit in St. Petersburg – that is to say, part of its agenda,” participants of the “Other Russia” summit said in a statement to the G8. “It is apparent to us that this campaign of repression is centralized and … sanctioned by the political leadership of our country.”
The organizers said dozens of opposition and rights activists have been forcibly prevented from attending the gathering, many of them beaten and detained, and urged the G8 leaders to demand their immediate release and to end all unlawful actions against the opposition.
They said nationalist lawmaker Sergei Glazyev was prevented from speaking at the forum when he was assaulted by hooligans, alleging it was a government-sponsored attempt to sabotage the event.
The organizers also said that security officers in plainclothes detained several opposition activists attending the conference Tuesday night without any explanation, and injured a German photographer trying to record that.
Moscow police were unavailable to comment on the allegations late Wednesday.
Former Prime Minister Mik hail Kasyanov accused the government of curbing democratic institutions and freedoms, and urged liberal forces to unite before the 2007 and 2008 parliamentary and presidential elections.
“The authorities are increasingly stifling the political sphere … it’s no longer just threats and bureaucratic obstacles, they have already resorted to repression,” Kasyanov told delegates.
Since Putin came to power six years ago, independent television networks have been reined in, the parliament has been transformed into an obedient body, and direct elections of regional leaders have been abolished.
The two-day summit was a rare opportunity for embattled opposition groups to unite, but it again demonstrated the deep divisions among liberal forces.
The two most prominent liberal parties, the Union of Right Forces and Yabloko, did not attend to protest the inclusion of ultranationalist and radical groups that they said would undercut the democratic character of the meeting.
A number of Western diplomats, including British Ambassador Anthony Brenton and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried, attended the conference despite indications from the Kremlin that their presence would not be welcome. Putin indicated it was seen as interference in Russia’s internal affairs.
