Moscow memorial rally for victims of Stalin's persecutions allowed
MOSCOW. Oct 24 (Interfax) - The Moscow city administration has given permission for a rally in central Moscow on October 30 to commemorate victims of political persecution in the former Soviet Union and protest alleged political persecutions in today's Russia, an opposition activist said on Wednesday.
Sergei Davidis posted a copy of a document allowing the event in the Facebook online social network.
The organizers of the rally, to be held on Political Prisoners Day, are the May 6 Committee, the For Human Rights organization, the Moscow Helsinki Group, the Union for Solidarity with Political Prisoners, and the Memorial human rights center, Davidis said.
The document permitting the rally bears the signature of Vasily Oleinik, first deputy head of the city's regional security department. It allows the meeting to be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and to bring together a maximum of 2,000 people.
The Memorial center also plans an event for October 29, Memorial Day for Victims of Political Persecution, a meeting entitled "Bringing Back the Names" and involving reading out lists of people shot dead by the Stalin regime.
As has become a tradition, flowers, candles and photos of victims are going to be brought to the meeting venue near the Solovki Stone on Lubyanskaya Square.
"From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on October 29, we will be reading lists of people who were shot in Moscow during the repressive regime of the Stalin era. First name, last name, age, occupation, date of execution. We will be replacing each other," Memorial Executive Director Yelena Zhemkova told Interfax.
She said the event had been permitted by the authorities.
"No more than 500 people may take part in the event at a time. We'll see how many people come during the day. There will be no spectators at that event, everyone will be a participant," Zhemkova said.
As another tradition, the meeting will be opened by Vladimir Lukin, Russian human rights commissioner, who will read out the first few names. There will be people from other Russian cities and other countries, with several members of the European Parliament expected," Zhemkova said.
