Legal exclusion of Navalny and his supporters from the elections in Russia.
President Putin signed the bill yesterday to prevent all those associated with “extremist organizations” from running and voting in elections at any level in the country. The law specifically targets the Alexei Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) and its organizational structures in more than 200 cities and regions in Russia. At the same time, the process is underway in a Moscow court to consider the request of the Moscow prosecutor's office to declare Navalny's structures an extremist organization. The request is personally supported by the prosecutor Denis Popov, protagonist in a corruption scandal that came to the surface a few years before FBK.
Due to the immediate dependence of the judiciary on the Putin regime, the court is expected to accept the regime's request and declare Navalny's organizational structures “extremist and illegal” at a meeting on Wednesday, June 9. The outcome of the “trial” is so predetermined that the Putin-controlled Duma quickly passed the law, to cancel the potential participation of the opposition leader and his supporters in the upcoming parliamentary elections on September 19. It is estimated that in June Navalny's political structures will be declared extremist and outlawed.
But in addition to being deprived of the right to vote, participation in or even any connection with the “extremist organization” FBK of Navalny, involves a criminal offense that provides for severe imprisonment. The law is worded in such a way that even the slightest contact of some, or the relationship with Navalny and the Anti-Corruption Foundation, the disclosure of materials on the internet, even a simple popular not only excludes participation as a candidate in any election up to within 5 years, but risk criminal prosecution and many years in prison. This also applies to Navalny's social media subscribers who support the Russian politician and his actions, through monthly contributions. It is estimated that at least 200,000 people offer fixed monthly subscriptions to Navalny's online structures.
In fact, the law has retroactive effect. However, in a rare case of differentiation from the Kremlin, even the Communist Party of Russia voted against the law on 26.05.2021, however Putin through the ruling party United Russia has full control over the Duma and did not find it difficult to pass as much as many others. laws restricting and ousting citizens' civil liberties, including the proclamation of an independent media outlet in a “foreign agent regime”.
In such a case, these media, among other things, are deprived of financial resources as commercials are banned and are driven to bankruptcy and closure, such as the promising VTimes platform, which announced its closure just last Thursday. It was preceded by the inclusion of this instrument in the list of the Ministry. Justice as a means of “foreign agent status”.
Andrei Pivovarov asked with a question. Bodr. It is read that his work is related to the plans in the GD. pic.twitter.com/EKtRjY3NCE
– Tatiana Usmanova (@TatianaUsmanova) June 1, 2021
Another law imposed by the regime concerns the so-called “unwanted organizations” on the basis of which the liberal and popular organization “Open Russia” was abolished due to its relations with the exiled businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Last Monday, the head of “Open Russia” Andrei Pivovarov was arrested for a post on Facebook, who expressed interest in participating in the elections next September and was remanded in custody for two months with summary proceedings. Pivavarov was arrested at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport after being taken off the plane while the LOT aircraft was on the runway and preparing to take off for Poland. Authorities also arrested the next day, moderate politician Dmitry Gudkov, who also expressed interest in running in the election.
Political analysts in Moscow point to the regime's panic as, according to the independent polling agency Levada, Putin's United Russia party does not exceed 15% in Moscow, while President Putin himself, after 21 years in power, is at an all-time low. popularity rates below 30%. That is why they decided by totalitarian and dictatorial methods not to allow the participation and election of any opponent of the regime.
Last week, a Moscow regional court near the prison where Putin's fierce opponent Alexei Navalny is being held illegally rejected a request by a Russian politician not to wake him up every hour at night, a policy the Kremlin has been pursuing since the politician was arrested. , with the excuse that he has an appeal to escape and it is necessary to wake him up every hour, to show up and videotape him to be sure that he did not break out! Navalny was not allowed to appear in court for life and took part in the proceedings by teleconference.
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