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Kremlin says Putin will continue dialogue with Russian non-parliamentary parties

This came as a reaction to the controversial statements of the head of Russia's Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov Ilya Pitalev/TASS
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov
© Ilya Pitalev/TASS

MOSCOW, January 20. /TASS/. The so-called non-system opposition in Russia that is ready to violate the law is not helping to achieve stability and prosperity in the country, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

"If we talk about those [representatives of non-system opposition] who when speaking about political activity say they are ready to go beyond the law on purpose, then of course these are people who at least do not contribute to stability and prosperity of this country," Peskov said.

The Kremlin spokesman reminded that Russian President Vladimir Putin often holds talks with the representatives of both the parliamentary and non-parliamentary parties. "This practice will also continue now. He [Putin - TASS] has the dialogue," Peskov stressed.

Chechen leader accuses non-systemic opposition of undermining situation in Russia

This came as a reaction to the statements of the head of Russia's Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov.

Kadyrov said last Wednesday (January 13) that the non-systemic opposition is trying to undermine the situation in Russia and that the opposition members "should be treated as enemies of the people." The opposition representatives reacted to the Chechen head’s statements, almost unanimously calling them an attempt to intimidate them. He said that the non-system opposition is trying to destabilize the situation in Russia instead of looking for a solution to the crisis together with the country’s administration. "People who were previously never heard of are doing everything to become famous by opposing themselves to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Representatives of the so-called non-system opposition are trying to gain from the difficult economic situation. Such people should be treated as enemies of the people, as traitors. Nothing is holy to them," Kadyrov said during a meeting with journalists in Grozny before the Russian Press Day. His statements were quoted on the website of the head of Chechnya and the government of Chechnya.

Russian human rights ombudsperson reacts to Chechen leader's statement on opposition

Russia’s presidential human rights ombudsperson Ella Pamfilova believes that members of the out-of-parliament opposition "differ greatly" one from the other, so applying the one-size-fits-all rule to them would be no good.

"It is only natural that out-of-parliament politicians vary a lot in many respects, including their morality and ethics," Pamfilova said in an interview, published on the ombudsperson’s official website.

"Among them there are absolutely selfless people, professing steadfast commitment to their ideas. Far from all are dreaming of getting the ‘carrot of aid’ from the US Department of State in exchange for subversive activities."

"If protest actions by the opposition are peaceful, if they stay within the bounds of the legal space, the practice of administrative pressures will be unlawful," Pamfilova said. "Even though a majority of our fellow citizens may loath the out-of-parliament opposition, it is not the reason to treat it as an outcast and launch a witch-hunt," Pamfilova said with certainty.

"If someone is engaged on subversive activities, the law enforcement agencies and the judicial system must provide an adequate response," she said.

Pamfilova regrets Russia’s level of political culture and of discussions leaves much to be desired.

At the same time civil, inter-ethnic and inter-religious accord is now "more crucial than ever before," Pamfilova said.

It's not the first time Ella Pamfilova has criticized Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s controversial statement about Russian opposition. "Such statements are not only useless, they are also harmful, because they do the country’s president a disservice and cloud the country’s reputation", she said. Pamfilova added that "it is clear to any reasonable person that only those who transgress the law can be judged."

"If anyone’s political activities, even the activities of our so-called non-system opposition, which is not numerous, take place in accordance with the Constitution, no one has a right to use an administrative, judicial or any other arbitrary approach to them," Pamfilova said.