May 14, 2007News: Duma Deputy A. Mitrofanov to Attend Pride Press Conference
By vanrozenheim
(Moscow, Russia) – Organisers of Moscow Gay Pride have this morning submitted the official documents in relation to the Pride march scheduled for Sunday May 27. And yesterday the Russian State Duma deputy Alexey Mitrofanov, who last week sensationally said that the Gay Pride march should be permitted, will be attending a press conference tomorrow where Moscow Pride organisers will reveal the plans for the event to speak in support of the event. Official notification of the proposed march in the city centre was delivered this morning to the office of Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov.
The march, from 3 to 5pm, is planned to start close to Moscow’s main Post Office and pass along Myasnitskaya Street to Lubyanka Square.
A separate application has been sent to the office of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in accordance with the law and President’s decree of 1992 concerning the conduct of public event of the territory of Kremlin.
President Putin is being asked to permit a small-scale event between 1 and 2pm in Alexandrovsky Garden next to Kremlin Walls.
According to the law, the President of Russia is the only official responsible for permitting public events in Alexandrovsky Garden.
The application to the President sets a limit of 200 participants, due to limited space in the Garden.
However, notification to the Mayor says that up to 5,000 are expected on the main march.
“Our public events are planned exclusively as a human rights action and not a carnival,” Nikolai Alekseev, Moscow Pride organiser, emphasised.
“This year it will be attended not only by foreign but also Russian politicians and famous mainstream human rights activists. We welcome the participation not only of homosexual people but also of heterosexuals who share the principles of respect for the rights and liberties of all people irrespective of their personal characteristics”.
At the same time Mr. Alekseev stressed that “all details concerning the plans for the second Gay Pride in Moscow will be voiced during tomorrow’s press conference”.
The press-conference is scheduled for 1 pm at the offices of Moscow Helsinki Group.
It will be attended by Mr. Alekseev and State Duma Deputy Mitrofanov, along with the leader of Russian lesbian movement Evgenia Debryanskaya, executive director of Moscow Helsinki Group Nina Tagankina, Bashkortostan deputy Edward Murzin, the head of the Movement for Human Rights Lev Ponomarev, the coordinator of LGBT Rights movement Alexey Davydov, gay activist, representative of the Project GayRussia.Ru Nikolai Baev and Nikolai Khramov, leader of the“Russian Radicals” group.
