Moscow authorities agree to action in memory of Markelov on January 19

The authorities of the capital have allowed holding - on January 19 in the city centre - a march and a rally in memory of the lawyer and rights defender Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova. This was announced on January 13 by the press service of the Moscow Mayor and Government.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that earlier the Moscow Mayoralty had refused to agree to the action applied for by the "Committee of January 19" and dated to the second anniversary of the murder of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova, proposing instead a rally in the centre or a march along Taras Shevchenko Embankment.

Originally, organizers had planned to hold a march and a rally in central Moscow with up to 1000 participants, but the Mayoralty gave a permit on 500 persons.

"An agreement has been reached to hold, from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m., a march along the internal side of Tverskoi Boulevard from the monument of K.Timiryazev to the Novopushkinskiy Mini-Park for up to 200 participants, and a rally, from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. in the Novopushkinskiy Mini-Park with up to 500 participants," the "Kommersant-Online" quotes the press service.

The organizers of the action will voice against "politically and ideologically motivated killings, against manifestations of racism, interethnic and religious hatred, against using chauvinism and xenophobia in politics and public life; they will express their ideas on the need to combat xenophobia, racial and ethnic hatred in Russia," said the press service of the Mayor and Government of Moscow.

The agreement was reached on January 13, 2011, at a meeting with the organizers of the action, the "Interfax" reports.

The Anti-Discrimination Centre "Memorial" reminds that last year anti-fascists were denied the opportunity to hold such a rally and a march in Moscow; the attempt to defend the right to hold a lawful demonstration on January 19 in the court also failed. The formal reason for refusal was the long holidays from December 31, 2009, to January 11, 2010, when applications were not accepted by the city and district authorities, while the inability of legitimate memory actions and peaceful anti-fascist protests on that day led to mass detentions of anti-fascists and human rights activists by the militia.