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Press Release of the ARA

Moscow, August 22, 1997

For Immediate Release

Statement of Nikolaj Khramov, secretary of the Anti-militarist Radical Association (ARA):

''Government has consolidated the draft budget for 1998, a draft which it considers balanced and ideal. I don't know, whether the same opinion have teachers, physicians, professors and students - all those who will get in the new year again only crumbs and leavings from generals' table.

Among 472 trillions of rubles of the budget expenditures, 95.9 trillions will boom again in the unfathomable chasm of army expenditures. It is at least one fifth part of all the budget expenditures. It's a minimum, if those on Okhotny Ryad would not decide to "improve" the budget in favour of "offended" generals.

Russian citizen must clearly realize: ninety six trillions of rubles, which the State intends to take them away as taxes - approximately 110 dollars from every living in Russia including sucklings - will be spent for preservation of status quo suiting for generals from Arbat square and Okhotny Ryad. Those money would be spent for rotten potatoes, mush and boots for those who during the next autumn will be searched by police in every city and village of our country to be "cropped to zero" and locked in barracks with only one goal: not to allow reducing generals' positions, reducing of generals' salaries, deprivation of generals' dachas.

Such a budget - dooming teachers, professors, students, physicians to the beggar's life, leaving the overwhelming majority of citizens not able to pay cash for their treatment according to the market price to hurt and die - it is nothing but a ransom which the government is able to pay to a not very numerous but extremely vigorous gang of blackmailers, a gang headed by Rokhlin, Rodionov, Krjuchkov, Terekhov and other "yesterdays forever" - amnestied putschists, assassinators, butchers of Grozny and crying ministers.

This band named "movement to support the military" takes a roundabout way through the country, calling - under guidance of their inspirers and sponsors from Communist Party - to revive "defence conscience", to subject interests of the whole society to the army (i.e. generals), to resign government and president.

On the head of this movement to support generals' wages stands Lev Rokhlin, deputy and general who in June this year undertook actions which are defined by the Criminal Code of Russian Federation as complicity in military rebel in form of instigation.

My formal request to the Procurator General Mr. Skuratov to conduct investigation on the fact of Rokhlin's instigative appeals rests on Bolshaja Dmitrovka without movement since June 19. However we - antimilitarists, Radicals, liberals - will not pretend that nothing illegal is happening. During the next days and weeks Procurator General will receive another dozens - or maybe even hundreds - of formal requests from citizens demanding investigation the facts of instigation to the military rebellion made by general Rokhlin.

Apart of this, we intend to do our best in order to consolidate the numerous but isolated forces in Russian society, ready to stand against aggressive pressure of militarists united around general Rokhlin & Co. This would be exactly the central point of the General Council of the ARA, which will take place in September with participation of representatives of other antimilitarist, liberal associations.''

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Antimilitarist Radical Association (ARA)

Ul. Trubnaja 25-2-49, 103051 Moscow, Russia

Tel./fax: +7-095-9239127

E-mail: ara@glasnet.ru

Internet URL: http://www.agora.stm.it/~ara