(Moscow, March 20) - One-day public assembly of the Transnational Radical Party took place on last Saturday, March 18, in Moscow, in CDT hotel. In the assembly were participating 112 members and supporters of the Radical Party from Moscow and 14 other Russian cities (Vladimir, Voronezh, Voskresensk, Grozny, Ekaterinburg, Kaluga, Ljubercy, Mcensk, Novgorod, Noginsk, Odincovo, Pskov, Pushkino, Saint Petersburg), as well as from Belarus, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Tibet and Ukraine.
Antonio Stango, member of the secretariat of the Radical Party responsible for coordinating party's activity in the CIS and Baltic countries, gave a overview of Radical campaigns and initiatives during the last six months. He stressed the dramatic character of the present moment, less than three weeks before the XXXVIIth Congress (Rome, April 6-9, 1995), moment which must be described as practically absolute absence of any financial resources necessary for continuing of the Transnational Radical Party's activity: it means that the party will be forced to close itself, if only by an extra-ordinary way some possibilities to finance its initiatives will not be found.
Julij Rybakov, member of Russian State Duma ("Russia's Choice") who worked during last months in Chechnya in the structure of the Russian parliamentarians' team under the leadership of Sergej Kovalev, dedicated his intervention to the crisis in the context of war in Chechnya and to the mass violation of human rights committing by Russian army in Chechnya. He specified the danger of the establishment an authoritarian militarist police regime of new nomenclature and generals in Russia.
Nikolaj Khramov, member of the Radical Party's General Council, designed outlines of the anti-militarist front, re-opened by the party in Russia. Russian Radicals must give priority on this stage to the initiative for the immediate legislative recognition of the right to refuse military service as universal civil right, they should actively join the petition campaign addressed to the both chambers of Russian parliament and president, starting collection of signatures under the appeal "For Conscientious Objection Right, Against Militarism", said Nikolaj Khramov.
Mussah Sadulaev, Radical member from Grozny, in his intervention highly estimated the role of Radical Party in mobilization of international public opinion against brutal and mass human rights violations in Chechnya. He also has drown attention to the importance of visiting Chechnya by politicians, MPs, human rights activists from different countries, as it was done by Antonio Stango and Nikolaj Khramov in January, this year.
Igor Bezrukov, lawyer, member of Amnesty Commission by Russian president, member of Executive Council of the Hands Off Cain - international league of parliamentarians, mayors and citizens for abolishing death penalty worldwide by the 2000, spoke in his intervention about results of the League's Executive Council meeting, which was held on February 25 in Rome. He also asserted once more the urgent necessity to organize within this year an all-Russian convention for abolishing death penalty by the 2000, noting the difficulties - first of all those of financial character - which are connected with such a project.
The special attention during the assembly was paid to the non-violent struggle of Tibetan people for liberation from the Chinese military occupation - a struggle, actively supported by the Transnational Radical Party. Navang Rabgyal, representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Russia, CIS and Mongolia, told about history and consequences of Chinese occupation of Tibet, which led to genocide of Tibetan population, about the present situation in this occupied country and appreciated Radical Party for active supporting the Tibetans' struggle for their legitimate rights, in particular - for the international week of mobilization under motto "Save Tibet", which was successfully held from 6 to 10 of March in the framework of preparations to the 1996 "Save Tibet" Worldwide Satyagraha. In the lobby of the conference hall a table of Tibet Information & Culture Center in Moscow was installed, where under the very colored Tibetan flag everybody could get different materials on history of Tibet and nowadays' situat
ion in this country.
Aleksandr Krutov, member of Moscow City Duma and member of Control Board of the Constitutional Democrats' Party (who greeted the assembly on behalf of Moscow City Duma and leadership of his party, and spoke mainly about Radical struggle against death penalty); Valerij Nesterenko, member of Russian State Duma (DPR); Vladimir Iljushenko, member of Amnesty Commission by Russian President; Dulma Shagdarova, representative of Moscow Buddhist community; Svetlana Koptel, member of Radical Party's General Council from Minsk; Ljudmila Semenihina and Larisa Kurilova, members of Soldiers' Mothers Committee, and many others spoke during the debates.
The assembly concluded its work by passing the final motion with 42 votes in favour and 1 abstention.
Unfortunately, the assembly was characterized by almost full - apart of Julia Kalinina, journalist of Moskovskij Komsomolec - absence of correspondents, in spite of the timely informing of press and importance of problems debated on the meeting. The only representative of press, no TV camera, no radio journalist - this fact leads to grieved reflections, especially in the context of rush interest to the actions of national communist and fascist organizations.
The day after, on Sunday, March 19, was held the working meeting of Radical activists from different cities of Russia, dedicated to the getting straight of the day-by-day interaction with Moscow office, as well as to the practical questions of organizing petition campaign for right to refuse military service.
