Public appeal to the President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev and to the President of the USA Barak Obama of the representatives of the civil society.

The representatives of Russian civil society support f the creation of bilateral commission on Russian-American relations.

But they expressed their concern that it was Vladislav Surkov who was appointed to be the Russian coordinator on the questions of civil society was. His name is associated with many negative tendencies of democratic developments in Russia: restraining of freedom of mass media, liquidation of competitive political system and establishing barriers blocking development of civil society.

Public activists ask the President of Russia to revise his appointment.

 For the whole text of the application and for the list of the signatories (in Russian) visit Memorial site: http://www.memo.ru/2009/07/08/0807091.html

July 8, 2009