Six months ago, on 16 of December 2004, the Nikulinsky District
Court ruled that the Ministry of Health and Social Development of
the Russian Federation has to provide the public with documents,
which were used to confirm the safety of food products with GM
ingredients, as well as to carry out registration of GM plant
species.
So far the Institute of Nutrition has not provided the demanded
information.
Within a month Greenpeace Russia has sent several letters
addressed to the director general with a request to prepare the
necessary information by May 16. However, a Greenpeace
representative and independent expert Ms Ermakova, PhD in biology,
had to burst through the entrance checkpoint and to get a meeting
with the Institute's director.
At the meeting Mr. Gapparov said that he would only talk in the
presence of the lawyer. He didn't make any promises about providing
results of the research at the next meeting.
"The position of the Institute of Nutrition violates rights of
citizens to access to information about quality and safety of food
products, which, according to Article 29 of the constitution of the
Russian Federation, shall be officially open. Again we face
disregard of citizens' rights", says Natalia Olefirenko, Greenpeace
GE Campaign coordinator. "It seems like the research has not been
carried out at all or they have not been finished yet. Another
possibility is that the research proved the danger of GM
products".
"If the documents are not presented, Greenpeace is going to
insist on cancellation of the state registration of GMO,
acknowledgment of sanitary and epidemiological conclusions as
invalid and a ban on GMO in Russia".