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Russia has outlawed organizations founded by imprisoned opposition activists Alexei Navalny by declaring them “extremists,” a label that bans their supporters from running in elections and threatens them with years in prison.
A Moscow court on Wednesday said Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) and its national network of political activists should be classified alongside Isis and al-Qaeda, as advocacy groups say it is part of a Kremlin campaign to silence opposition to President Vladimir Putin ahead of the September parliamentary elections.
Navalny, Putin’s top critic, was arrested in January and sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison after returning to Russia after recovering from a nervous breakdown that he said was an assassination attempt. ordered by the Kremlin.
“The headquarters of FBK and Navalny are recognized as extremist organizations,” the group’s lawyers said. “As a result, their activities are banned in the territory of Russia and all employees who continue to work for them are threatened with real imprisonment.”
According to partial transcripts provided by FBK lawyers, Russian prosecutors argued that Navalny’s groups, through their activism and organization of protests against both Navalny’s imprisonment and Putin, “created conditions to destabilize the social situation.” and sociopolitics under the guise of his liberal slogans. . . to take people to the streets to change the government by force ”.
Prosecutors also said FBK payments, made to help protesters detained by police with legal fees, should be classified as “financing extremist activities,” suggesting that those who received the funds could be targeted. processing.
The court hearing that lasted more than 12 hours was held in private after it was decided that some of the materials being discussed were secret. The FBK legal team said it would appeal the ruling.
It comes just days after Putin signed a law that makes it illegal for members or supporters of “Extremist” organizations to participate in the Russian elections. Anyone who has been a member, donated or shared materials created by these organizations is open to criminal proceedings and up to six years in prison under Russian law.
Navalny’s regional network, which has offices in dozens of cities in Russian provinces, closed legally in April pending the court’s decision. Senior associates have said they will continue their activism individually, regardless of Wednesday’s ruling.
The network is a key part of Navalny’s efforts for the September election to use so-called smart voting, an initiative that targets disgruntled voters to support candidates most likely to oust politicians based on the ruling party United Russia.
The state department condemned the nomination and said it would further restrict the ability of opposition candidates to appear at the polls at the polls.
“With this action, Russia has effectively criminalized one of the country’s few independent political movements,” said Ned Price, a spokesman for the state department. “While the scale of today’s actions is particularly disturbing, it is indicative of the extent of the Russian government’s crackdown on political opposition, civil society and the independent media.”
The state department called for Navalny’s immediate release and urged Russia to end repression of its supporters.
FBK, founded by Navalny a decade ago, has published several investigations into alleged financial corruption by senior Russian government officials.
In January, after Navalny’s arrest, he did released an investigation in what he said was a $ 1.4 billion palace in the Black Sea built by Putin by a clique of oligarchs, which has since been viewed 117 million times on YouTube.
The Kremlin has denied any link between Putin or his family and the palace and has denied any involvement in Navalny poisoning.
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