PRESS RELEASE

MOSCOW, APRIL 3, 2001.

PUBLIC ASSEMBLY OF RADICALS IN MOSCOW: POLITICAL PRIORITIES OF RADICALS IN RUSSIA FOR NEAREST WEEKS AND MONTHS ARE SET: ANTI-WAR AND ANTIMILITARIST INITIATIVES, CAMPAIGN FOR RATIFICATION BY RUSSIA OF THE STATUTE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT, CAMPAIGN FOR STATUS OF FULL AUTONOMY FOR TIBET, CAMPAIGN AGAINST STATE FINANCING OF PARTIES, ANTICLERICAL INITIATIVES

Last Sunday, on April 1, the Open Assembly of the radicals was held in the A.D.Sakharov Public Center and Museum "Peace, progress, human rights". 53 persons took part in the Assembly: members of the Radical Party, members and participants of the Antimilitarist Radical Association, members of the "Khramov's Club - Association for libertarian reforms" (national political association of Russian radicals), activists of petition campaign against the Chechen war.

The assembly was opened by the 40-minute speech of the coordinator of the RP in Russia, the secretary of the ARA Nikolay Khramov, then political debates concerning plans of radicals for nearest weeks and months began.

In conclusion of the debates, the participants of the Assembly adopted the final document in which the nearest political priorities of the Russian radicals were set:

- anti-war campaign to stop the Chechen war which was defined by the participants of the Assembly as "irresponsible and criminal adventure of the governing regime in our country", and, in particular, the initiative to send to the president Putin post-cards "Chechen War is a shame to my country";

- campaign for ratification by the Russian Federation of the Statute of the International Criminal Court;

- support of conscientious objectors and promotion of conscientious objection / statement of convictions;

- initiatives to support the bill on the alternative civilian service which was brought to the State Duma by the deputies Yu.Rybakov and Ye.Vorobyov;

- campaign for the abolition of conscription slavery and transition to the professional army;

- campaign for a new status of full autonomy for Tibet;

- campaign against the state financing of the parties;

- anticlerical initiatives to protect the secular state, freedom of conscience and freedom of scientific research.

At the Assembly there was also a discussion about the plans of radicals concerning their participation in elections of the Moscow City Duma at the end of this year, but the participants of the Assembly couldn't come to common opinion on this question and it wasn't reflected in the text of the Final document.

The participants of the Assembly discussed also questions of financing and self-financing of the Radical Party and the ARA in Russia. During the Assembly, 2 new members enrolled in the RP 2001 and 8 persons - in the ARA as participants.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

tel. (095) 208-1805, 233-4202

www.radicalparty.org

www.radicalparty.org/russia

APPENDIX: text of the Final document of the Open assembly of radicals of April 1.