On May 12, to highlight the 30th anniversary of its founding, the Moscow Helsinki Group held a conference at which a resolution was adopted demanding the release of political prisoners. The text of the resolution, addressed by telegram today to the head of state, reads:

’To the President of the Russian Federation Mr. V.V. Putin. Dear Mr. Putin! On its 30th birthday, the Moscow Helsinki Group reaffirms its watchword ‘Freedom for political prisoners!’ We continue to demand the release, among others, of Igor Sutyagin, Valentine Danilov, Mikhail Trepashkin, Alexei Pichugin, Zara Murtazalieva, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Platon Lebedev and Svetlana Bakhmina.

‘Adopted at a conference of human-rights activists dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Moscow Helsinki group. Moscow, May 12, 2006’