Moscow, 5 September: Human rights activists are concerned about the removal of opposition candidates from the Moscow city duma election, which is to take place on 11 October.

"The entire opposition is being removed from the election, and by what methods? These bureaucratic quibbles prompt bewilderment," the leader of the movement For Human Rights and a veteran of the Russian human rights community, Lev Ponomarev, told Interfax today.

As reported, electoral commissions in Moscow have rejected signatures in support of the registration of all seven candidates for single-mandate districts in the Moscow city duma election from the Solidarity opposition movement. That includes Ilya Yashin, Igor Drandin, Ivan Starikov and Sergey Davidis.

"This all relates to some kind of bureaucratic procedures which have nothing to do with the law," Ponomarev said, speaking about the removal of Solidarity's candidates from the election.

For his part, member of Solidarity's leadership Ilya Yashin told Interfax earlier that an appeal against the refusals to register the candidates would be filed with the Moscow city electoral commission. "Incidentally, we are not harbouring any illusions. Nor do we have any illusions regarding the prospects of our appeals to the Moscow courts. There is a small chance that it will be possible to get to the truth in the Supreme Court, but even if this happens the candidate will only be restored two or three days before the election. We will consider appealing to court, but we don't rule it out," Yashin said.

As reported, leader of the Moscow branch of the Right Cause party Igor Trunov was also refused registration as a candidate for the Moscow city duma.

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