At present, the federal target program "Development of Sochi as
a Mountain Climate Resort in 2006-2014" is being implemented.
According to the program, construction is planned in the most
precious parts of the Sochi National Park, including areas on the
border of the Caucasus Reserve inscribed in the UNESCO World
Natural Heritage List. In an area of about 10 thousand hectares,
current plans call for the construction of a bobsleigh route
designed to hold 11 thousand spectators, a biathlon complex that
will accommodate 20 thousand spectators, an Olympic village, a
high-speed railway, and even a hydroelectric power station.
The approval and implementation of the federal target program,
as well as the design and construction of sports facilities, are
being carried out with gross violations of Russian law. A
development plan to turn Sochi into a mountain climate resort was
never prepared, and the comprehensive evaluation of the
environmental impact of the planned activities (EIA) was not
carried out. To push through this illegal activity, current laws
are being changed, and attempts are being made to restrict the
lawful rights and freedoms of citizens and non-governmental
organizations.
The application committee "Sochi 2014" asked the RF Government
to make the appropriate bodies prevent citizen protests. This
violates the constitutional right to peaceful demonstrations.
Nevertheless, the deputy head of the Russian Government
commissioned the Russian intelligence services (including the FSB
and the Ministry of Internal Affaires) to consider the request. In
his turn, the head of the Olympic committee of Russia Tyagachev
said during his visit to Krasnodar: "If [the environmentalists]
brandish the Constitution to declare that we cannot cut fir trees
and pine trees, we'd rather change the Constitution".
The concern of Olympic officials and members of the FR
Government about the protest movement opposing the construction of
Olympic venues in the Sochi National Park is easy to understand. At
present, an appeal against the federal target program is being
considered by the RF Supreme Court. Numerous citizens and NGOs are
demanding that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) lobby the
Russian government to remove high value environmental landscapes
from the list of areas assigned for the construction of Olympic
facilities. All these appeals cannot help influencing the decision
of the Olympic Committee.
Russian Olympic officials and those behind them not only violate
the law, they also prevent the the 2014 Olympics from being held in
Russia. "According to the Olympic Charter, the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) is obliged to observe environmental
legislation during organization of the Olympic Games and to support
the Olympic movement in its efforts to protect the environment. The
IOC will hardly violate its core principles", said Mikhail
Kreindlin, Greenpeace Russia expert. - "We hope that our government
will prove itself wise and far-sighted and will not allow the
destruction of the unique nature of the Caucasus under the pretext
of the Olympics".
We think that Sochi has a great potential for development as a
mountain resort. However, the value of a resort is determined,
first and foremost, by its environment and a well thought-out
zoning of the territory.
For further information, please contact Greenpeace press officer
Evgenia Belyakova:+7 495 926 5045 ext.252.