HANDS OFF THE DEFENDERS OF LAKE BAIKAL!

Declaration of NGOs

In the name of the NGOs of Russia, we express our decisive protest against the provocation which has targeted the environmental NGO “Baikal Environmental Wave.” We demand an objective investigation and punishment of the provocateurs.
On 28 January 2010 the office of “Baikal Environmental Wave” was blocked by representatives of the State Direction of Internal Affairs (GUVD) of Irkutsk Oblast. Without showing a warrant, the GUVD representatives took computers from the office under the pretext of verifying the “use of non-licensed software.” These actions of the militia took place despite the fact that they were shown documents, confirming that all the computer software is either licensed or is distributed free-of-charge.
The desperate effort of three of the female employees of “Baikal Ecological Wave” to halt the carrying away of the equipment by six militia was later cynically described as “restraining law enforcement officers.”
We are appalled by the inappropriate use of law enforcement – not for protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens, but instead for pressuring those NGOs that are engaged in defending those rights and protection of the natural riches of Russia – the foundation of life and of the activity of ours and our descendants.
Those for whom it is more important to receive a dirty profit are acting through methods that have become customary in wild Russian capitalism – that is, to use any means to remove an obstacle on the path of receiving profit, profit, and profit. It is not a secret that “Baikal Environmental Wave” is in practice a center of public protection of Lake Baikal from pollution, and a center looking for a solution to the problem of development of the town of Baikal’sk without the polluting Baikal Paper and Pulp Mill.
Together with “Baikal Environmental Wave” we demand: the relaunching of the Baikal Paper and Pulp Mill represents an environmental catastrophe; the decree of the Russian government, which gives permission for the relaunching of the work of the Mill and of the construction of new mills around Lake Baikal must be repealed!
We demand the immediate return to “Baikal Environmental Wave” of those computers taken by the militia, and the halting of provocations against this NGO.
We ask that this declaration be considered as an appeal to the General Procurator of the Russian Federation with to conduct a detailed investigation of what has taken place, including who the initiators were and the punishment of the leadership of this shameful provocation.

A.V. Zimenko, Biodiversity Conservation Center (Moscow)*
A.V. Yablokov, Marine Mammal Council (Moscow)
S.V. Simak, International Socio-Ecological Union
N.I. Rybakov, Environmental Human Rights Center “Bellona” (St. Petersburg)
G.G. Rezhabek, Northern Caucasus Branch of the International Environmental Fund (Rostov on the Don)
V. Servetnik, “Nature and Youth” (Murmansk)
N.O. Terekhova, Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers of Kostroma Oblast
I.S. Reznikova, Kostroma Branch of the Fraction “Green Russia” of “Yabloko”
T.I. Dobretsova, “In the Name of Life” (Kostroma)
S. Shaparenko, “Pechenegi” (Khar’kov, Ukraine)
O.V. Bodrov, “Green World” (Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Oblast)

* To sign the statement, please send an email to: bcc@biodiversity.ru
Signatures are given in the order of receipt; at 31/01/2010 the statement is already signed by over 70 NGOs.
Originals of electronic signatures can be found in Biodiversity Conservation Center office.