Strategy-31
Encyclopedia
Strategy-31 is a series of civic protests in support of the right to peaceful assembly in Russia
guaranteed by Article 31 of the Russian Constitution
. Since 31 July 2009, the protests were held in Moscow on Triumfalnaya Square on the 31st of every month with 31 days.
Strategy-31 was initiated by Eduard Limonov
, founder of the National Bolshevik Party and one of the leaders of The Other Russia
coalition. It was subsequently supported by many prominent Russian human rights organisations including the Moscow Helsinki Group
, the Memorial
human rights centre and other public and political movements and associations. It started with modest support but with each event increased in the numbers.
Every one of the Stategy-31 actions since it commenced has been refused permission by the authorities on the grounds that other activities were planned to take place on Triumfalnaya Square at the same time on the respective dates. These "counter-actions" included the “Choose Health, Be Like Us!” festival (July 31, 2009), a youth sports festival (August 31, 2009), the “Division” military-sports festivity (October 31, 2009), an action of the pro-Kremlin “Young Russia
” movement (December 31, 2009), and the “Winter Amusements” festivity (January 31, 2010). Each of the Strategy-31 actions was dispersed by regular and riot police and accompanied by large-scale detentions of participants and passers-by.
The action attracted a strong public and international response on December 31, 2009, when among dozens of other participants the police grabbed and detained the Chairperson of the Moscow Helsinki Group
Lyudmila Alexeyeva
(84). The President of the European Parliament
Jerzy Buzek
and the US National Security Council
expressed their outrage at the detention of the prominent human rights activist, while The New York Times
devoted its front page to an article about this protest action.
The strategy 31 action on 31 May 2010 has gathered a record number of participants (more than 2000 according to some sources)http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/200-protesters-detained-2-days-after-putin-backs-rallies/407246.html and was dispersed with over 100 arrests.http://www.rferl.org/content/Putins_Assurances_To_The_Contrary_Protesters_Are_Beaten_And_Detained/2059305.html
Since January 2010, the Strategy-31 actions have spread from Moscow
, to other Russian cities including St. Petersburg
, Archangelsk, Vladivostok
, Yekaterinburg
, Kemerovo
and Irkutsk
(about twenty Russian cities in total).
On August 31 of 2010 protests took place globally, in London, New York, Toronto and Tel Aviv. . The original initiative for "Strategy-31 Abroad" came from the blog of Alex Goldfarb
, a close associate of exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky - though this was originally denied by Andrei Sidelnikov, the organizer of the London protests.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
guaranteed by Article 31 of the Russian Constitution
Constitution of Russia
The current Constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted by national referendum on 12 December 1993. Russia's constitution came into force on 25 December 1993, at the moment of its official publication...
. Since 31 July 2009, the protests were held in Moscow on Triumfalnaya Square on the 31st of every month with 31 days.
Strategy-31 was initiated by Eduard Limonov
Eduard Limonov
Eduard Limonov is Russian writer and political dissident, and is the founder and leader of radical National Bolshevik Party. An opponent of Vladimir Putin, Limonov is one of leaders of Other Russia political bloc.-Early life:...
, founder of the National Bolshevik Party and one of the leaders of The Other Russia
The Other Russia
The Other Russia , sometimes cited as Another Russia, is an umbrella coalition that gathered opponents of former President of Russia Vladimir Putin...
coalition. It was subsequently supported by many prominent Russian human rights organisations including the Moscow Helsinki Group
Moscow Helsinki Group
The Moscow Helsinki Group is an influential human rights monitoring non-governmental organization, originally established in what was then the Soviet Union; it still operates in Russia....
, the Memorial
Memorial (society)
Memorial is an international historical and civil rights society that operates in a number of post-Soviet states. It focuses on recording and publicising the Soviet Union's totalitarian past, but also monitors human rights in post-Soviet states....
human rights centre and other public and political movements and associations. It started with modest support but with each event increased in the numbers.
Every one of the Stategy-31 actions since it commenced has been refused permission by the authorities on the grounds that other activities were planned to take place on Triumfalnaya Square at the same time on the respective dates. These "counter-actions" included the “Choose Health, Be Like Us!” festival (July 31, 2009), a youth sports festival (August 31, 2009), the “Division” military-sports festivity (October 31, 2009), an action of the pro-Kremlin “Young Russia
Young Russia
Young Russia is a Russian youth movement founded in April 2005. The movement is known for its protest rallies in front of foreign embassies and for various political rallies in the streets....
” movement (December 31, 2009), and the “Winter Amusements” festivity (January 31, 2010). Each of the Strategy-31 actions was dispersed by regular and riot police and accompanied by large-scale detentions of participants and passers-by.
The action attracted a strong public and international response on December 31, 2009, when among dozens of other participants the police grabbed and detained the Chairperson of the Moscow Helsinki Group
Moscow Helsinki Group
The Moscow Helsinki Group is an influential human rights monitoring non-governmental organization, originally established in what was then the Soviet Union; it still operates in Russia....
Lyudmila Alexeyeva
Lyudmila Alexeyeva
Lyudmila Mikhailovna Alexeyeva is a Russian historian, human rights activist, founding member of the Moscow Helsinki Watch Group, and one of the few veterans of the Soviet dissident movement still active in modern Russia.-Soviet period:...
(84). The President of the European Parliament
President of the European Parliament
The President of the European Parliament presides over the debates and activities of the European Parliament. He or she also represents the Parliament within the EU and internationally. The President's signature is required for enacting most EU laws and the EU budget.Presidents serve...
Jerzy Buzek
Jerzy Buzek
Jerzy Karol Buzek is a Polish engineer, academic lecturer and politician who was the ninth post-Cold War Prime Minister of Poland from 1997 to 2001...
and the US National Security Council
United States National Security Council
The White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the...
expressed their outrage at the detention of the prominent human rights activist, while The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
devoted its front page to an article about this protest action.
The strategy 31 action on 31 May 2010 has gathered a record number of participants (more than 2000 according to some sources)http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/200-protesters-detained-2-days-after-putin-backs-rallies/407246.html and was dispersed with over 100 arrests.http://www.rferl.org/content/Putins_Assurances_To_The_Contrary_Protesters_Are_Beaten_And_Detained/2059305.html
Since January 2010, the Strategy-31 actions have spread from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, to other Russian cities including St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Archangelsk, Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
, Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...
, Kemerovo
Kemerovo
Kemerovo is an industrial city in Russia, situated on the Tom River, east-northeast of Novosibirsk. It is the administrative center of Kemerovo Oblast, located in the major coal mining region of the Kuznetsk Basin...
and Irkutsk
Irkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
(about twenty Russian cities in total).
On August 31 of 2010 protests took place globally, in London, New York, Toronto and Tel Aviv. . The original initiative for "Strategy-31 Abroad" came from the blog of Alex Goldfarb
Alexander Goldfarb (microbiologist)
Alexander Davidovich Goldfarb is a Russian-American microbiologist, activist, and author. He emigrated from the USSR in 1975 and lived in Israel and Germany before settling permanently in New York in 1982. Goldfarb is a naturalized American citizen...
, a close associate of exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky - though this was originally denied by Andrei Sidelnikov, the organizer of the London protests.