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Firing of Russian head of school standing up for civil rights

After students and teachers had taken part in anti-government protest and the head of school Nr.24 in Nizhny Novgorod Yelena Moiseyeva refused to give authorities a list of names over protest participants, she was fired without an explanation. She got informed in a letter that referred to a clause in Russia’s labor code that allows authorities to fire staff at state institutions without explaining the cause.

The general perception is that Yelena Moiseyeva has been purged because of taking position to protect students and staff that share opposite opinion than the authorities, as being supporters to opposition leader Aleksei Navalny. A relative to Moiseyeva, who does not want to be named, says this was not the first time close to an election that she was under pressure to snitch on students and protesters.

As a result of the firing collegues at School Nr.24 in Nizhny Novgorod have published an online petition that Moiseyeva will be reinstated in office as they embrace her work at school. The petition was written:

“She built a signature school founded on the principles of democratization, political and religious neutrality, the subjectivity of every student and teacher”.

According to given sources the authorities take every chance to influence school leaders and all leaders at Russian state institutions in order to take control of the result of upcoming election in September.

Tsikhanouskaya to establish office in Prague

The leader of democratic Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, will soon open an official office in the Czech capital, Prague. During the recent months, violence, harassment and state sponsored terror have increased in Belarus. The government crackdown on independent media, civil society and political parties together with the hijacking of a civilian aircraft in May has shown the escalation of the crisis in the country.

During her visit last week to the Czech Republic, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya announced the opening of a new official office in Prague. The democratic movement of Belarus already has offices in Vilnius and Warsaw. The opening of an office in a third European capital indicates the wholeheartedly European support for a free, democratic and independent Belarus.

Undemocratic law signed against “undesirable” organizations in Russia

The new bill signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin into law on June 28th will criminalize “undesirable” participations with non-governmental organizations, five days after the Federation council approved it. This force of actions in avoiding opposition against Putin regime is a clear sign of what is going on as undemocratic progress in Russia.

The bill declares that Russian citizens may face up to six years in prison if found guilty of taking part in organizing “undesirable” activities of foreign non-governmental organizations. It also declares that individuals that voluntarily stop cooperating with these organizations or assist in shutting down its activities, will not face trial. In many ways the actions of Putin regime remind us of the time when iron curtain was a fact in Europe and that is a clear threat against democracy for Russian citizens.

Conference with the Women´s Organization in Tirana

June 4-6, 2021

Last weekend we met with the Women’s Organization of the Democratic Party in Albania. Newly elected Members of Parliament and campaign teams were invited during the weekend to exchange experiences in the campaign and communication area. We discussed among other important topics about media in Albania, local campaign, political digital tools, public opinion and the role of the women´s forum of DP in elections.

Campaign and Communication Conference in Banja Luka

May 28-30, 2021
 
The last weekend we are with the members of the Women Organization of PDP in Banja Luka. We spoke about how women face the political campaign and the communications.
 

We listen to interesting presentations about local campaign, winning elections, women’s public appearance in politics, digital campaign and more. It was a great opportunity to discuss also the working agenda of the Women Organization for the next months.

Women Conference in Prishtina

 May 21-23, 2021

“Campaign and Communication” is the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation’s Conference where we speak about Local Campaign, The Challenges of Women in Politics, Innovative Communication Tools, Political Digital Campaign, Election and Polling and more relevant topics.

We were in this occasion with members of the Women Forum of our sister party LKD in Kosovo.

Call for immediate release of Roman Protasevich

The chairman of the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation, Mr. Peter Egardt, has issued the following statement in response to the forcibly landing of a civilian aircraft in Belarust and subsequent arrest of Roman Protasevich:

”The action taken by Belarusian authorities today, forcing a civilian aircraft en route between Greece and Lithuania to land, is appalling and abhorrent.

The arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich is unlawful and he may face death penalty in Belarus. His crime is using his universal right of free speech. I call for his immediate release and for an immediate reaction by the European Union and its allies. 

We can not tolerate state sanctioned piracy, abduction of journalists or continuous violence aimed at civilians in Belarus. This needs to stop and we fully support Belarusian’s peaceful strife for democracy and rule of law.”

Maia Sandu awarded democracy prize

The president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, has been awarded the Norwegian Lindebraekke Prize.

Sandu, who has been president of Moldova since December 2020, has worked to deepen Moldova’s relations with the European Union and to promote democracy and rule of law in her home country. She is awarded the prize in recognition of her work to ”facilitate critical reform, fight endemic corruption and promote a government working for the people”, the jury writes in its motivation.

The Lindebraekke Prize is the international democracy award of the Norwegian Conservative Party (Hoyre). It is awarded to individuals or organizations which promote political and economic freedoms and rights, and who strengthen democratic institutions in societies where they are oppressed. Members of the jury include Eva Gustavsson, managing director of the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation and Eirik Moen, former secretary of state at the prime minister’s office and former secretary general of the International Democrat Union.

UNM chair released in Georgia

The leader of the centre-right opposition in Georgia, the UNM chair Niki Melia, has been released from prison. Melia was arrested in the end of February, which led to escalated political tensions, the resignation of the prime minister and a difficult political crisis in Georgia. 

Niki Melia was released on May 10th, after support and mediation from the EU. In a statement, the UNM expressed its gratitude to the EU and the United States for their continuous support for a democratic Georgia, ”and as a beacon for our Western aspirations”.

Youth Conference in Bosnia and Herzegovina

March 26-28, 2021.
 
Principles for a Free Society is a successful conference that the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation holds for sister parties around the world. We were together with the members of the youth organization of PDP in Banja Luka learning, discussing and exchanging opinions on democracy, human rights, toleration, freedom and other important topics. Young participants broadened their knowledge and expanded their political network inside the party. The conference weekend was a positive and rewarding experience for everyone.
 

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