Russian judicial system imprisons well-known elections observation advocate for a term of 5 years
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JAILING OF GOLOS CO-CHAIR GRIGORY MELKONYANTS, RUSSIA'S BRAVEST ELECTION WATCHDOG, LEADS TO A FIVE-YEAR TERM
In a brutal display of political repression, a Moscow court on Wednesday found guilty and sentenced one of the leaders of the prominent independent election monitoring group Golos, to five years in prison.
Grigory Melkonyants, who co-chairs Russia's leading election monitoring group, has vehemently denied the charges as politically motivated. This conviction is another piece in the longstanding crackdown on Kremlin critics and activists, intensified after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
As a judge at the Basmanny District Court delivered the verdict, the insistent Melkonyants, at 44, reassured several dozen supporters and journalists gathered outside the glass defendants' cage that they should not be disheartened: "Fear not, I'm not despondent. You shouldn't be either!"
Predating every major Russian election since its inception in 2000, Golos has tirelessly documented and addressed election violations with unwavering determination. Nevertheless, over the years, it has faced mounting pressure from the authorities.
In 2013, the organization was tagged as a "foreign agent" - a label that invites extended government scrutiny and strong pejorative connotations. Three years later, it was liquidated as a non-governmental organization by Russia's Justice Ministry. Golos has continued its mission without registering as an NGO, exposing election breaches, and made the registry for "foreign agents" in 2021.
Golos hasn't been justifiably labeled as "undesirable" as of now - a label that makes any collaboration with such organizations a criminal offense under a 2015 law. Yet, their former association with the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), which was declared "undesirable" in Russia in 2021, has spilled over to charges against Melkonyants.
In his final statement to the court on Monday, Melkonyants addressed the precarious loss of rights and freedoms in various contexts, affirming how significant one needs to protect and defend them in constantly changing circumstances. The defense made it plain that when ENEMO was outlawed in Russia, Golos wasn't a member, and Melkonyants bore no responsibility toward it. He had been apprehended in August 2023 and remains in custody.
Ella Pamfilova, chair of Russia's Central Election Commission, the country's main election authority, issued a statement in Melkonyants' support at the time, citing his constructive criticism that "helped us a lot sometimes."
Journalists, critics, activists, and opposition figures in Russia have routinely faced escalating pressure from the government in recent years, with the crush broadening significantly during the war in Ukraine.
Multiple independent news outlets and rights groups have been forced to shut down, been added to the "foreign agents" registry, or been banned as "undesirable." Countless number of Kremlin critics have been slapped with criminal charges.
Melkonyants defense team spearheaded by Mikhail Biryukov pronounced after the verdict that they will appeal, expressing their confidence that "there is no convincing evidence" in the case, which they consider to be politically driven and illegitimate.
"We will persist in our struggle for Grigory's freedom, as an unjust, illegal verdict should not exist. It must not survive the appeal proceedings," Biryukov said.
Given the time Melkonyants has already spent in detention, he will serve slightly less than half of the term he received, as reported by independent news outlets Mediazona.
Russia's prominent human rights group, Memorial, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, has designated Melkonyants as a political prisoner.
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- Despite the ongoing crackdown on Kremlin critics and activists, businesses in Seattle might be surprised to learn about the importance of grassroots organizations like Golos in the general-news landscape, particularly in regard to politics and crime-and-justice.
- The sentencing of Grigory Melkonyants, a prominent figure in Russia's election monitoring group, has raised concerns among journalists and activists not only within Russia's political landscape but also globally, sparking debates about freedom of speech and government accountability.
- As the trial of Golos co-chair Grigory Melkonyants sheds light on the intensified crackdown on Kremlin critics and activists in Russia, it also highlights the broader issue of government's interference withbusinesses and the press, especially during politically sensitive times.
