Russia arrests leader of prominent election watchdog

A Russian court on Friday formally arrested Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of the independent election observation group Golos (Voice), as the country continues to crack down on Kremlin critics and human rights activists.

"By decision of the Basmanny District Court, a measure of restraint in the form of detention until October 17, 2023 was chosen against the accused Grigory Melkonyants," the court said.

Melkonyants was detained on suspicion of working with an "undesirable organisation." A 2015 law makes involvement with such organizations a criminal offense in Russia. The activist faces up to six years in prison if convicted.

Police also searched Melkonyants's apartment in Moscow and the homes of 14 other Golos members across the country, the organization said. It added that cash, bank cards, passports and other documents were seized.

According to Melkonyants's lawyer, his client's detention was related to Golos' cooperation with the European Network of Election Monitoring Organisations, which was declared "undesirable" in Russia in 2021.

Political pressure before elections

Golos said the raids are linked to Russia's upcoming regional elections, scheduled for September 10, as well as the March 2024 presidential election, in which Vladimir Putin is expected to seek and win another six years in the Kremlin.

"We are convinced that the real purpose of this attack is to interfere with public observation" of both sets of elections, said Stanislav Andreichuk, co-chair of Golos.

According to Andreichuk, the authorities seemed to "doubt that they have real support, that the desired results of the upcoming presidential and regional elections are achievable" if independent monitoring of the votes is allowed to take place.

Golos operated without registration

Since its founding in 2000, Golos has played a key role in the independent monitoring of elections in Russia. However, over the years it has faced increasing pressure from the authorities.

In 2013, the group was classified as a "foreign agent" and three years later liquidated as an NGO by the Russian Ministry of Justice. Golos continued to operate without registration as an NGO and in 2021 was included in a new register of "foreign agents" created for groups not registered as a legal entity in Russia.

Kremlin critics say the government is expanding a historic crackdown on dissent, with most opposition figures behind bars or in exile and numerous independent news outlets and human rights groups shut down, labeled "foreign agents" or outlawed as "undesirables."

A Russian court on Friday shut down the Sakharov Center, a well-known organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of the physicist and Nobel Prize winning human rights activist Andrei Sakharov.

dh/nm (AP, AFP, Reuters)