Lockup for Lew: Latest Opposition Critic Detained in Russia's Crackdown on Dissent
Analysis of Ukraine Conflict: Prominent Russian Dissident Detained
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp E-Mail Print Copy Link In Russia, Lew Schlosberg, the remaining vocal opposition voice, has been nabbed, as per his party's claims. An opponent of the Yabloko party, hailing from the Pskov region, Schlosberg holds the position of deputy chairman.
This round of detainment is allegedly in response to a January debate video where Schlosberg supposedly advocated for an immediate truce in the Ukraine conflict. The man denies uploading the video to any social network and has filed an appeal against his imprisonment. The party stated that prior to the detention, searches were conducted at the party office, his residence, his family home, and his father’s dwelling.
The roots of this legal battle can be traced back to October of last year, when a criminal case was launched against Schlosberg due to suspicions of not disclosing his "foreign agent" status in public statements, as indicated by the Russian Investigative Committee. Such critics are tagged as "foreign agents" in Russia and must disclose their status in all public publications and social network posts. Schlosberg was one of the few critics still active in Russia who had managed to evade capture thus far.
Free speech in Russia is largely muzzled. The Kremlin's chief adversary, Alexei Navalny, died last February under mysterious circumstances while in the "Polar Wolf" labor camp in the Arctic region. Navalny had been poisoned with the deadly chemical agent Novichok in 2020. Many other perceived threats to Putin are either afraid to speak out due to concerns for their safety or are in exile.
Only the weakened remnants of a liberal opposition remain active in the nation. The liberal opposition party Yabloko is still present at the local level, though not represented in the State Duma since 2007. In the midst of the U.S.-Russia rapprochement, even the party’s founder, Grigori Yavlinsky, expressed his desire for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The European Parliament has also expressed its concern at the situation in the former Yugoslavia, as it seems that Russia's politics and general news, including crime and justice, continue to suppress free speech, with the latest being the detainment of Lew Schlosberg amid allegations of not disclosing his 'foreign agent' status. This incident follows a series of searches at the Yabloko party office, Schlosberg's residence, his family home, and his father’s dwelling, hinting at a broader crackdown on dissent in Russia.
