Friday April 30th 2021
Another blow to the network
Navalny offices classified as “extremist”
Alexei Navalny’s comrades-in-arms had already feared the move: Moscow classifies the regional offices of the Kremlin critic as a “terrorist and extremist” organization. A final ban is therefore only a matter of time. One of Nawalny’s lawyers is also arrested.
The regional offices of the organization of the imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny have been classified as “extremist” in Russia. The Navalny network was added to the list of “terrorist and extremist” organizations of the financial regulator Rosfinmonitoring, as it announced in an update of its list. The security forces also arrested the lawyer Ivan Pavlov, who is defending Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation in a Moscow trial against allegations of extremism.
The Russian public prosecutor’s office had applied for Nawalny’s anti-corruption foundation FBK and the Kremlin critic’s network of regional organizations to be classified as “extremist”. As a result, the work of the organizations would be banned completely. Members and supporters would face long prison terms. The head of the network of regional offices, Leonid Volkov, had anticipated a decision by the judiciary on Thursday and announced the dissolution of the organizations. However, some of the 37 offices would continue to operate as independent political organizations.
On Monday, the Russian judiciary had already imposed a temporary ban on the Navalny organizations. The regional offices play a major role in elections as they regularly organize campaigns for “smart voting”. In doing so, they call for a vote regardless of the party for the candidate who has the best prospects against the candidate who is loyal to the Kremlin.
Navalny survived an attack in Russia last August with a neurotoxin from the Novichok group, for which he blames the Kremlin. After his treatment at the Berlin Charité, he was arrested in Russia on his return in January and later sentenced to more than two and a half years in a camp for alleged violations of probation conditions.
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