Activists ask PACE to condemn anti-fascist Zarenkov's persecution in Estonia
TALLINN. Dec 20 (Interfax) - Representatives of the international community have set up the Freedom to Zarenkov! Public Committee in support of Andrei Zarenkov, the head of the Estonia Without Nazism organization, who is persecuted in Estonia.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which meets in Strasburg on January 27, should adopt a resolution condemning the punitive practice by the Estonian authorities with respect to the leader of Estonian anti-fascists, the committee said in a statement on Monday.
"The chairman of the Estonian human rights organization, Estonia Without Nazism, the informal leader of Russians in Estonia Andrey Zarenkov was arrested by Estonian police officers on January 4 and jailed for six months after being charged with nine counts of taking 1,000 euro in bribes," the Committee said.
"We, leaders and activists from a number of nongovernmental organizations from various countries, human rights activists and journalists believe that it is an obvious and blatant provocation by the Estonian law enforcement agencies with the aim to exert pressure and discredit the famous human rights activist and along with him the entire anti-fascist movement," the statement said.
While in custody, Zarenkov denied all the charges.