Moscow City Council set to pass law banning councilors from contact with protesters
Moscow’s City Council is considering a bill prohibiting members from meeting with protesters. Council member Valery Rashkin, has criticized the bill, saying, "The people elected the lawmakers, they serve as the voice of the people, and such a bill is contrary to the spirit of the Russian Constitution."
Democratically-elected parliaments that turn around and say lawmakers cannot contact protesting citizens are acting in direct contradiction of basic democratic ideals. Citizens in modern democratic countries have the right to resist unconstitutional abuses of power by government agencies. When the power of the state abandons its power base, the source of power – i.e., the people – must act to recover the powers that are rightfully theirs. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.