Here's an alert I received in my inbox today from ASA, American's for Safe Access:

Last Saturday in Moscow, protesters and sympathizers in a Russian Medical Marijuana march were beaten, arrested, and thrown in jail. At least seven activists were charged and convicted according to The Russian Administrative law for the propaganda of drugs (8230).

To highlight the injustice of these arrests and the brutality suffered by his fellow demonstrators, one of the seven convicted, activist Sergey Konstantinov is currently on a 15-day hunger strike. Many medical marijuana advocates throughout Russia are outraged at this gross violation of human rights and are concerned about the safety and health of the protesters.

In an act of solidarity for the medical marijuana protesters thrown in jail, ASA is calling on its members to write letters and make phone calls to the Russian Embassies in the U.S. demanding that they free the political prisoners and to express concern with police brutality in Russia.

In the United States there are Russian Consulates in Washington, D.C., New York, Houston, Seattle and San Francisco. Please visit the Russian Embassy website for addresses and phone numbers.

To read the media reports on the event, please visit:

StoptheDrugWar.org
Kommersant, Russia's Daily Online
The Moscow Times

Thank you to Richard Lake, Eugene Kazachenko, and Steve DeAngelo for bringing this pressing issue to light. ASA supporters, please do your part to stand up for the rights of medical marijuana activists throughout the world.

Thank you for your continued commitment to safe access!

Sincerely,

Sonnet Seeborg Gabbard
Field Coordinator
Americans for Safe Access