Russian authorities suspend operations of Navalny's offices
Source: Associated Press
Russian authorities on Monday ordered the offices of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny to halt their activities pending what would be a landmark court ruling on whether they should be outlawed as an extremist group.
The injunction from the Moscow prosecutor’s office was another step in a sweeping crackdown on Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critic, and his organizations. The prosecutor’s office petitioned a court this month to label Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption and network of regional offices as extremist groups.
It is a major challenge for Navalny’s embattled team, with its leader in prison and dozens of its members under arrest, targeted for raids by law enforcement, or facing criminal charges. Such a label would outlaw their activities and expose members and supporters to lengthy prison terms, according to human rights advocates.
“Tens of thousands of peaceful activists and the staff of Alexei Navalny’s organizations are in grave danger -– if their organizations are deemed ‘extremist,’ they will be at imminent risk of criminal prosecution,” said Natalia Zviagina, Amnesty International’s Moscow Office Director, in a statement on April 17. She called the possible move “one of the most serious blows for the rights to freedom of expression and association in Russia’s post-Soviet history.”
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/moscow-russia-arrests-europe-b4c5e9681ca9c9fc1dd04b75a8cbbf0a
This is Russian Govt.
One cannot read what Putin is doing here & not see the glaring threat to our own Democracy in our current time. Anyone normalizing, speaking on behalf of or promoting Putin's govt, is NOT protecting our Democracy.
This story is a foreboding of what has already began to shift within our country, via foreign & domestic threats.
*This:
"The prosecutors also asked a Moscow court to restrict the activities of the foundation by banning it from spreading information in the media, taking part in elections, using banks or organizing public events, according to Ivan Pavlov, a lawyer representing the Foundation. The ruling on the motion is expected later on Monday."
= new reply since forum marked as read
