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News from protest camp in Votkinsk, Russia
The
18th of July a protest camp organised by social ecological movement Rainbow
Keepers and local activists from the Russian city Votkinsk started. The
camp is a part of campaign against construction of a plant for utilisation
of rocket fuel. American corporation Lockheed Martin is building the plant
nearby Votkinsk, city of over 100 000 inhabitants. The project is strongly
lobbed and financially supported by the government of U.S.A. (more info
about this project and Lockheed Martin)
In the camp is constantly living around 100 protestors from all around
Russia, Ukraine and Finland and it is daily visited by local inhabitants,
who support the camp also financially. 26th July the campaign against
plant organised an demonstration against reconstruction of a plant for
utilisation of rocket fuel with over 2500 participants. The protestors
are also holding daily info table in the centre of Votkinsk.
Even
though by statistics 98% of local inhabitants are against the plant, the
protest camp also faced resistance. 30th July camp was attacked and one
tent was burned with fuel. Fortunately local youth who slept in the tent,
woke up in time no-one was injured. Next day the camp was visited by a
group of aggressive men who hit one protestor and drove over three tents,
which were luckily empty at the moment. Police is also daily visiting
the camp and checking protestors identity. At the1st of August traffic
guide didn't let the bus of protestors theatre group drive in to Izhevsk,
capital of Udmurtia the local country. Directly after the show in the
centre of Izhevsk three actors and four members of audience were arrested
about participation in illegal meeting. Six of them spent 20 hours in
the jail, after the trial everyone was released. One Finnish citizen got
warned about possible deportation from Russia. During the same day five
holders of info table in Votkinsk were also arrested and held three hours
only for checking their identities.
3th
of August Rainbow Keepers organised together with local people an blockade
in front of the office of Lockheed Martin in the city of Votkinsk. The
main entrance was blocked for four hours. Two activists held banners from
the roof of the house next to office. They were both caught, but one managed
to run away with support of locals, the other one got beaten and arrested.
When police tried to drive out from the area with the arrested activist,
the road was spontaneously blocked for half an hour by activists and local
people. Police violently threw people away from the street and drove away
with arrested activist. After that police arrested three more people who
drove by cars to the direction of police office. After that the governor
of the city came to the place of the action by the call of protestors
and had negotiations with police and protestors. The solution was to release
arrested activists and to end the blockade of the office.
The next action 7th of august, was planned to happen in front of the court, to support the governor of the city V. L. Fridrich who was accused for giving permission to the demonstration against the reconstruction of a plant for utilisation of rocket fuel at 26th July.
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Violence in Votkinsk continues, police arrests more Rainbow Keepers activists
On 7th of August at 10 o'clock 11 police officers came to the protest camp and arrested one Rainbow Keepers activist and journalist from Izhevsk.
About noon at the central square of Votkinsk during the youth festival two more people were arrested when police officers began checking the documents of the activists taking part in the street theatre. one activist from Samara was arrested for taking part in the action at 3rd of August (see press-release 03rd August 2001). Another activist from Tampere, Finland, was taken to Izhevsk city, the capital of Udmurtia, for deportation from Russia. Other participants of the theatre were caught at the street and warned not to go to the meeting in front of the court.
Trial against the Rainbow Keepers activists
On 7th of August the trial against 5 activists took place. Since 1:30 PM local people were gathering near the court, including support group from nearby city Chajkovskij. Rainbow Keepers activists covered their faces with masks to protect themselves from arrests, which were made all the day by video materials of police. The case was closed, though the members of local and regional press and deputies were let in. The case was going on the whole day with plenty of breaks. During one day the case was not finished. The trial didn't find any concrete material against activists, because all the material was considered as general about the meeting, not about some individuals. The court decided to keep 2 activists arrested until the next trial.
People gathered in front of the court and tried not to let the police bus with the activists go back to the police station. They organised a blockade and shouted "Let them out!" The police bus went back for a while until more police officers came to the place. Police tried to push activists who were sitting in front of the police bus and take them into police car. From time to time serious violent clashes were taking place. One time police was attacked by around 40-50 people. Police first hit them back and then caught and arrested a few of them.
At this moment 6 activists are arrested activists. Some of them immediately proclaimed hunger strike. After a short discussion people decided not to fight with the police but to go to mayor's house instead. By some information the police head officer Kozlov from Izhevsk, who ordered the police to use more heavy methods, was visiting the mayor's house at that moment.
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How to support and practical information
The camp started the 15th of july. Rainbow Keepers is not much into symbolical protesting - thus camp will last until some victory has been gained or there are no abilities to continue protest anymore. So you are still invited to come and help! Suitable camp gear (tent, sleeping bag, cutlery) and experience on non-violent civil disobedience are useful to bring along. Camp is drug and alcohol-free.
Russian visa for
a month costs around 450 SEK. A bus from Helsinki to Saint-Petersburg
costs about 120 SEK, and a train from Saint-Petersburg to Izhevsk in 3rd
class some 200 SEK. A bus from Izhevsk to Votkinsk costs around 15 SEK.
Cost of living in the camp is insignificant.
You can also help
the people in Votkinsk by sending a letter of protest to:
Lockheed Martin:
Director, Corporate Media Relations: james.fetig@lmco.com
Director, Public Relations: hugh.burns@lmco.com
President of Udmurtia A.A.Volkov: tel. +7 (3412) 75 39 80, fax: +7(3412) 75 29 87
Or you can send financial
support for the action camp to :
Prominvestbank
Address: per. T.Shevchenko 12, Kiev, Ukraine.
Bank correspondent of USA:
Bank of New-York, New-York,
account 8900060077, S.W.I.F.T. IRVT US 3N
payee name: Nadiya Shevchenko, passport # AE416429
More info on the Russian IMC (good to improve your russian) and the Rainbow Keepers site
To get in contact:
Rainbow Keepers protest camp in Votkinsk city, tel. +7 (341-45) 5-75-10,
e-mail rkvotkinsk@mail.ru
See you in Votkinsk!
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Backgound information of Votkinsk and the planned plant
is a city of 100 000 inhabitants in the Udmurtian republic, Russian Federation. It is a planned site of Russian-American plant to process old heavy rocket fuel. First such experiment ended to ban of United states department of enviroment - the proposal was to build processing plant to the desert of the Nevada, where most near human settlement was a community of 300 indians 250 kilometres away. The plant was supposed to harm protected tortoises in the area. So US congress decided to finance such an experiment in Russia with 55 million US$ - in extent 10 times bigger than the Nevada plant.
First planned site was the city of Perm near Ural mountains - after strong protests of local inhabitants Russian government decided to move project to a place 4 kilometres from the city of Votkinsk. This because rocket manufacturing company Topol is the biggest employer of the city. The plan is that after 5 years of American governance, plant will be governed by local company.
After
tour of offers, US government decided to give subcontract to Lockheed
Martin, biggest military-industrial transnational in the world, and most
important contractor of the US army and NASA. Lockheed Martin has also
been strongly involved in privatization schemes of Russia. Lockheed Martin
has also a record of scandals, both ecological and on breaking of arms
export regulation.
Russian government has made an ecological impact assesment of the project - as usual, not after their own laws. Result was that plant will mean "jobs" - currently it seems to be about 25 in the beginning.. Known greenwash "NGO", "Green Cross" has been paid to promote project in local mass media and to marginalize the resistance.
Inhabitants
of Votkinsk started resistance immediately when they learned about the
plans. Local organising group has dozens of activists, and has organised
public protests with 2000-3000 participants. Local movement got also a
municipal referendum organised, in which majority opposed the project.
This without any grants or finances whatsoever for the election campaign,
while local government was putting lots of money and effort to counter-
propaganda. Biggest employer of the city, company Topol forbid their employees
to participate the referendum and observed people who went to vote. Administrative
court nullified the referendum, which has become more like a routine in
Russia where municipal and regional referendums are formally binding.
There is also strong movement in the city of Chaykovskiy near Votkins,
which has organised mass meetings as well as car caravan to the city of
Izhevsk, capital of the Udmurtian republic.
Groups in both Votkinsk and Chaykovskiy have joined Socio-Ecological Union, umbrella of about 300 enviromental NGO's, and "Khimbez", network against chemical pollutants in Russia. After lenghty court processes, local movement asked help from "Rainbow Keepers", radical social ecologist movement known for their direct actions. After two years of resistance, local people decided that new forms of resistance are necessary. Local people wanted to organise a protest camp, which Rainbow Keepers have been organised annually since the beginning of the nineties.
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Rainbow Keepers
Press release 07.09.2001
Protest camp in Udmurtia, Russia
9th of August court finally took place in Votkinsk
Today 9th of August
at 10 AM took place the court on two Rainbow Keepers activists V. Kovriga,
E. Dragunova and one journalist E. Sharafieva. They were arrested 7th
of August at the protest camp and at the central square of Votkinsk and
accused on huliganizm, resistance against the police, participation in
illegal demonstration which took place 3th of
August infront of the office of Lokheed Martin. E. Dragunova and E. Sharafieva
got 24 hours arrest, and were immediately freed, because they had been
sitting in jail already two days at that moment. V. Kovriga was only warned.
Today the other trial, which continues already during 4 days, was also
finished. D. Sorokin, S. Sokolova and V. Prytkov got 1000 (about 35 dollars)
roubles fine. M. Kuchinskij and V. Ninaltovskij, who are accused in the
organization of demonstration at 3th of august, got 15 and 12 days in
jail. They were immediately transported to the main jail of the Respublic
of Udmurtia to Izhevsk.
Immediately after the result of the court V. Ninaltovskij announsed a
hunger strike. M. Kuchinskij is now third day in hunger strike and his
health is in a critical state. As a sign of solidarity against police
violence and for the campaign
against the plant three members of Healthy life-style organization of
Votkinsk also announsed an hunger strike.
During the trial plenty of rules was broken. Police took part in the trial
as a suffered side and acclaim that they suffered morally, because the
law was broken. The agruments were proofed with video materials. The defence
was not able to learn the trial material, the amount of which grew constantly.
You can show your protest against police violence and illegal arrests and the result of the court to the justice house of Udmurtia Respublic, tel.+7 (3412) 78 25 76
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