- Title: USA: Russians in New York protest Putin's election win
- Date: 6th March 2012
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MARCH 5, 2012) (REUTERS) A SMALL GROUP OF PROTESTERS PROTESTING IN THE MIDDLE OF TIMES SQUARE AGAINST RESULTS OF RUSSIA'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS HOLDING SIGNS AGAINST THE ELECTIONS A SIGN READING "ELECTION FRAUD IN RUSSIA 2012" PROTESTERS A SIGN READING "THIEF PUTIN" OVER A PICTURE OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIMITRI VIROVETS, A PROTESTER, SAYING: "Mr. Putin is very much responsible for stealing votes of many Russian citizens who are not necessarily voting for him or against him, doesn't matter. But we can't accept those elections, they were unfair." (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) GREGORY PASMAN, A PROTESTER, SAYING: "I'm against Putin's regime for its corruption and for its persecution and murders of activists. I don't want the traits of this regime to spread outside of Russia. I am trying to battle it both in Russia and prevent it from spreading abroad." A SIGN READING "THOUSANDS OF VIOLATIONS = PUTIN'S 63.75%" PASMAN HOLDING A SIGN READING "WE ARE NOT PUTIN UP WITH IT ANYMORE" (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) KSENIA GRUBSTEIN, ONE OF THE CHIEF ORGANIZERS OF THE PROTEST, SAYING: "We are protesting against the massive violations in presidential elections and the thousands of irregularities observed by the observers and civil organizations. And it all leads to the conclusion that the election is not legal, it's fraudulent. So, the results can't be accepted and recognized." (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) MARINA TYAZHELKOVA, A PROTESTER, SAYING: "The two things are linked: Putin staying in power and fraudulent elections. He could only stay in power through fraudulent methods. He could not stay in power through free and fair vote. The vote in December was fraudulent, as were the recent presidential elections. As long as he continues in power, fraud and thievery will continue." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS STANDING WITH SIGNS
- Embargoed: 21st March 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa, Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAB45551TKJI52R68YNYSEXGRQC
- Story Text: A small group of Russians living in New York took time off from work on Monday (March 5) to protest against the legitimacy of Russia's recently concluded presidential elections.
The demonstrators claimed that Vladimir Putin's victory in Sunday's (March 4) presidential elections was "fraudulent". They insisted that over three thousand instances of election fraud had been observed by media and civic organizations.
Putin, who secured almost 64 percent of the votes, said he won a six-year term as Kremlin chief in a fair and open contest, but vote monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe echoed the opposition's complaints that the election had been slanted to help him.
Dimitri Virovets, a Russian who has lived in the United States since 1989 and works as an interpreter, carried a sign reading "Thief Putin".
"Mr. Putin is very much responsible for stealing votes of many Russian citizens who are not necessarily voting for him or against him, doesn't matter. But we can't accept those elections, they were unfair," Virovets said.
76-year-old Gregory Pasman, another Russian, said he was against Putin's regime "for its corruption and for its persecution and murders of activists", adding that he wanted to fight this leadership in Russia and its influence abroad.
Ksenia Grubstein, one of the chief organizers of the protest, works as a journalist. She said that the election results just "can't be accepted" and that Russians all over the world would continue to protest, in solidarity with the anti-Putin demonstrations within Russia.
The New York protesters want governmental bodies, politicians and non-profit organizations in the United States, as well as international organizations, to refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the electoral results and Putin's victory until further investigation into the claims of election violations. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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