Post date: Aug 22, 2013 6:48:31 PM
Russian opposition supporters mark the anniversary of the 1991 coup which paved the way for the collapse of the Soviet Union, saying their fight for democracy started 22 years ago still continues.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA (AUGUST 22, 2013) (REUTERS) - Russian opposition supporters rallied near government headquarters on Thursday (August 22) to mark the defeat of a coup that hastened the 1991 Soviet collapse, saying the democratic values which people fought for 22 years ago were still non-existent in Russia.
At a rally behind the White House - the building where Boris Yeltsin stood on an armoured vehicle to defy the coup attempt, and now the Russian government headquarters - speakers and opposition leaders condemned current government for a crackdown on democratic freedoms."Freedom was given to us by the Constitution, but we still need to fight for it all the time. What is happening today shows that if you don't defend your freedom you may loose it. That is why the day when citizens defended their wish to build a democratic state 22 years ago is an important date," Russian opposition leader Mikhail Kasyanov said.
The protesters chanted "Russia will be free!" and called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be peacefully pushed from power saying Russia was further than ever from the democratic freedoms people came to the White House to defend back in 1991.
"The things that people came out (to the street) 22 years ago for still do not exist in Russia. People came out (to fight) for freedom, for dignity, for democracy, for human rights, for honest elections, for legitimate democratic authority. 22 years later none of these goals is reached," Russian opposition leader Vladimir Ryzhkov said addressing supporters from stage.
The crowd at the rally numbered in the hundreds, who showed up carrying posters with portraits of Russian jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business associate Platon Lebedev and people jailed after mass opposition protests in Moscow.
Putin's critics saw the use of force to break up the mass opposition rally last May as a shift towards intimidation and repression and a turning point in the Kremlin's tactics.
Two people have been jailed over last year's rally and 28 are awaiting trial, while several opposition leaders face criminal charges which they say are politically motivated and could see them jailed for years.
Putin, who in 13 years of power has succeeded in sidelining his opponents, has at times mocked the opposition, and at others ignored them as he set about boosting support among provincial blue-collar workers who are his main power base.