Press Release of the ARA

Moscow, November 20, 1997

For Immediate Release

During the news conference of general Lev Rokhlin which was organized today in the Small Hall of the State Duma, activists of the ARA - including Nikolaj Khramov, secretary of the ARA and independent candidate for Moscow City Duma on the XXV district - have organized a demonstration.

Rokhlin's news conference was dedicated to a regular statement of Movement to Support the Army headed by Mr. Rokhlin on the matter of struggle against "anti-popular Yeltsin's regime" and plots of authorities against Lev Rokhlin and his movement. Activists of ARA wanted to get an answer to another question, related not to anti-Yeltsin public activity of the general, but directly connected with Lev Rokhlin's work as chairman of the Duma's defence committee. Seven antimilitarist militants have raised in the last line of chairs in the hall the slogan with the question: "The Alternative Service Law: When?"

Despite the fact that during all the news conference the slogan was directly in front of Mr. Rokhlin and it has drawn attention of all the hall including eight TV shooting teams, there was no answer to this "written question". After reading of the statement's text and interventions of some Rokhlin's aides, news conference was closed. The journalists were not allowed to ask questions. After the news conference, speaking with Nikolaj Khramov, Mr. Rokhlin told that the president's administration is guilty in non-presenting to the State Duma the draft law on alternative civilian service. Gen. Rokhlin told also, that he does not know nothing about Malkin - Savitsky bill, which was already passed in the first lecture in December 1994 and currently is in the competence of the defence committee headed by Mr. Rokhlin. He only said that "this draft law has been written by two occasional civilians who does not know anything about the army" and therefore it cannot be adopted by the parliament.