Radical Party

Moscow Office

Trubnaja 25-2-49

103051 Moscow, Russia

Tel./fax 7 095 9239127

Moscow, November 24, 1994

Dear friends,

As you probably already know from the mass media, on November 11 State Duma passed the Aids Bill. Article 9 of this bill provides in particular the obligatory testing on AIDS all the foreigners and persons without citizenship, who "arrive for work, studying or with other purposes".

The passed bill, establishing at first time in world practice the obligatory testing for all foreigners, including tourists, regardless to terms of their stay in Russia. Besides of human rights violation, this bill causes also the direct harm, since the obligatory testing will absorb 95% of the financial resources endowed for struggle against Aids, leaving no penny for research, sexual education, prophylactics. Both Mrs. Bela Denisenko, chairwoman of the Duma's Health Care Committee, and leading specialists on Aids cure spoke already against the current conception of the bill. Now the bill is submitted to the Federation Council. Exactly it is now up to Upper Chamber of Russian parliament: will this bill implemented or not.

The Transnational Radical Party has prepared the initiative against the Aids Bill. During the next days we will send letters to all the senators, asking them to disapprove the Aids Bill and send it back to the State Duma for remaking. The Aids Bill item is already included into the agenda of the nearest Federation Council's session, which convenes on December 6 and will continue about one week.

To the beginning of the FC's session we have scheduled also demonstration to protest against the xenophobic and ineffective bill, which will take place on December 6 at 9.30 near the Federation Council's building in Moscow (Boljshaja Dmitrovka, 26).

We count also on your support. We have very few time, just several days. Please:

- Send telegram or fax to Mr. Vladimir Shumejko, president of Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russian Federation, asking him to undertake all the necessary to disapprove by Federation Council the Aids Bill passed by State Duma.

Post address: Mr. Vladimir Shumejko, Federation Council, B. Dmitrovka 26, 101790 Moscow, Russia.

Telephone: +7-095-2925750; fax +7-095-2926545.

If you do not have any possibility to fax, please contact the Moscow office of the Radical Party and we will deliver all your signatures to the Federation Council.

- Try to collect signatures of people surrounding you under your appeal to the president of Federation Council and also to submit it to the proper destination.

Please, send us copies of your appeals together with names and addresses of the subscribed people: it gives us possibility to inform in the future about the course of campaign everybody who supported us.

- If you live in Moscow and therefore can participate in Radical demonstration, come to the Federation Council (B. Dmitrovka, 26) on December 6, at 9.30.

With friendship and hope for collaboration,

Nikolaj Khramov

member of General Council

of Radical Party