MOSCOW (AP) – Leaders of a liberal Russian political party ordered to close last week vowed Monday to take their fight to Europe’s human rights court, a move that could draw further Western criticism of President Vladimir Putin’s brand of democracy ahead of elections this year.
The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the closure of the opposition Republican Party, ruling that its membership and penetration in Russia’s provinces fell short of thresholds set in recent electoral legislation that Kremlin critics say is stifling pluralism.
Party leaders claimed the ruling was politically motivated, part of a Kremlin effort to silence dissent and keep opponents out of December parliamentary elections, which set the stage for a March 2008 presidential vote from which Putin is barred by term limits.
The authorities “are throwing a whole spectrum of political forces out of politics, leaving in place their marionettes, clowns and appeasers,” lawmaker and Republican Party co-chairman Vladimir Ryzhkov said, referring to Kremlin-approved parties that dominate parliament and politics nationwide.
Valentina Melnikova, a co-chair and prominent soldiers’ rights activist whose party merged with the Republican Party, said she believes it was targeted for closure in part because of Kremlin anger at her group’s exposure of abuse that plagues the military and opposition to the draft.
In what he called an unprecedented step, Ryzhkov said the party will turn to the European Court of Human Rights if its final appeal in Russia fails. He said it will ask the court in Strasbourg, France to suspend the Supreme Court’s ruling until it can consider the case, and also to give the suit top priority and hear it quickly.
“We are making tracks in the fresh snow … but we are convinced that we are in the right; we are talking about massive human rights violations,” he said. “We will fight for our right to exist as political party and participate in the next elections.”
The Supreme Court agreed with the Federal Registration Service’s claim that the party had about 40,000 members – less than the 50,000 required by a law signed by Putin in December 2004. Parties had to reregister by last year, and others also face closure hearings this spring.
Ryzhkov argued that the party has more than 58,000 members and branches in a majority of Russia’s provinces – another requirement. He said the registration service had used an inadequate method to determine the number of members, limited mostly to telephone calls to people listed as members.
The Federal Registration Service declined to comment on that claim Monday, saying it would respond only to a written request, within 30 days.
A lawyer for the Republican Party, Alexei Semyonov, said that before turning to the European Court, it must first appeal the Supreme Court decision in Russia, as it plans to do after it receives the official ruling, possibly later this week.
Russians have turned to the court in Strasbourg, France, to seek redress for alleged injustices suffered at home. The court has handed down dozens of rulings against Russia in recent years, and Putin has accused it of political motivation.
A suit with the European court would put the spotlight on Russian democracy ahead of the December elections, which will be held under new rules critics say are aimed to strengthen the Kremlin’s grip and ensure a smooth transfer of power from Putin to a favored successor.
Other legislation signed by Putin has raised the threshold parties must clear to win parliament seats from 5 percent to 7 percent, eliminated voting for individual parliamentary candidates, and ended the election of provincial governors by popular vote.
