COPENHAGEN, 12 June 2012 – Matteo Mecacci (Italy), chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, called on Russian authorities to respect dissenting opinions in the wake of a crackdown on demonstrations over the past several months in Russia.

Demonstrators are speaking out against corruption and calling for new and fair presidential and parliamentary elections among other issues. Yesterday, authorities searched the homes of key opposition activists, including Alexei Navalny, who were called today to police stations for questioning regarding their involvement in anti-government protests in May.

"The Russian Federation, like all OSCE participating States, has committed to uphold freedom of assembly and expression," Mecacci said. "The recent news from Moscow concerning the harassment of citizens trying to peacefully express their dissatisfaction with the conduct of democratic processes in the country is a cause for concern for the international community."

Several websites reporting on demonstrations are either down or reporting consistent attacks from hackers similar to disruptions that occurred during opposition demonstrations in May and parliamentary elections in December.

Earlier this week, the Duma passed and President Vladimir Putin signed a controversial law on freedom of assembly, which imposes 300,000 ruble (7,000 euro) fines for violations during any kind of rally and forbids the wearing of face masks during demonstrations.

"All countries have the duty to respect the dissenting opinion of its own citizens," Mecacci said. "Restricting these basic civil and political rights is not the way for any democracy to function and is a dangerous path for the authorities to follow. For these reasons, I call on the Russian authorities to stop curtailing freedom of expression and assembly."