ABC News: EU President Germany Denounces Russian Crackdown

ABC News: EU President Germany Denounces Russian Crackdown

EU President Germany Denounces Russian Crackdown
Riot Police Kicked and Chased Anti-Kremlin Demonstrators

April 16, 2007— - EU president Germany on Monday called a Russian police crackdown on anti-Kremlin protesters and media over the weekend "unacceptable" and demanded Moscow explain its actions.

"The excessive use of force that we saw over the weekend is worrying and assaults on the media ... are unacceptable," government spokesman Thomas Steg told reporters at a regular news conference.

"The German government expects and demands a thorough clarification of the events in Moscow and St. Petersburg, particularly the actions which prevented journalists from doing their jobs."

Riot police wielding batons beat, kicked and chased anti-Kremlin demonstrators in St. Petersburg on Sunday, a day after authorities detained several hundred protesters in Moscow, including former world chess champion Garry Kasparov.

Police also took journalists, including German television reporters, into custody, prompting a complaint by the German embassy in Moscow, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

"An open, peaceful, dynamic civil society are cornerstones of democratic society," ministry spokesman Jens Ploetner said. "These themes are, were and remain issues for discussion when we talk with the Russian side."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been more outspoken in criticising Russia on its human rights record and treatment of the media than her predecessor Gerhard Schroeder, who developed a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But given Germany's dependence on Russian energy and her current role as EU president, Merkel must ensure relations with Moscow remain on a good track and has kept her criticism measured.

The European Union will soon be negotiating a new cooperation and partnership agreement with Russia and has been keen to avert a split with Putin over controversial U.S. plans to deploy a missile shield in central Europe.

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