Russia shutters Navalny’s offices
Moscow court considers labeling group criminal extremists
MOSCOW — Russian authorities 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.”
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 organization.
The injunction from the prosecutor’s office was posted on social media by Navalny’s allies, who reject the accusations and insist the actions are politically motivated.
“It’s a total travesty of justice and lawlessness once again in Putin’s Russia,” said top Navalny associate Lyubov Sobol.
The prosecutor’s office said Monday it resorted to these measures because “leaders and members” of the foundation and Navalny’s offices “continue to carry out unlawful activities, for instance, hold unlawful mass public events. … for example, on April 21” — a reference to a wave of nationwide rallies that day supporting Navalny.
“They’re just screaming here: We’re scared of your activities, we’re scared of your protests, we’re scared of your Smart Voting,” tweeted Ivan Zhdanov, Navalny’s top ally and director of the Foundation for Fighting Corruption.
The Smart Voting project is designed to support candidates who are most likely to beat those backed by United Russia, the Kremlin-backed party, in local elections.
Navalny’s foundation opened 10 years ago and has since targeted high-ranking Russian officials with exposes on corruption, many in the form of colorful and widely watched YouTube videos.
Along with the foundation, Navalny set up a vast network of regional offices in dozens of Russian regions when he was campaigning to run against Putin in 2018. He eventually was barred from running but kept the infrastructure in place.
In light of Monday’s injunction, Navalny’s offices posted announcements on social media saying they’re suspending their activities. “It’s foolish to get involved in a battle that can’t be won,” Sergei Boiko, head of Navalny’s office in Siberia’s Novosibirsk, wrote on Facebook.
Navalny’s top strategist and head of the regional network Leonid Volkov told the media that all offices have halted their operation.
Both the foundation and the offices have been targeted regularly with raids, fines and detentions of activists before. But the extremism lawsuit takes the pressure to a new level, Sobol told The Associated Press on Friday.
“Labeling us as extremists — contrary to the common sense and to the laws of this country, because obviously we’re not involved in any extremism — is quite a serious attack on our organization. We will have to survive in completely different conditions,” Sobol said.
Navalny’s team said they prepared a motion at his behest to allow him to participate in the court proceedings.