The top of Russia’s solely impartial election watchdog was sentenced on Wednesday to 5 years in jail after being convicted of working with an “undesirable” group, in keeping with Russian information businesses and his lawyer.
Grigory Melkonyants, a co-founder of the Russian election monitoring group Golos, was jailed in 2023 after President Vladimir V. Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine and led a broad crackdown at dwelling. Charged with “organizing the actions of an undesirable group,” Mr. Melkonyants, 44, pleaded not guilty when his trial opened final September.
On Wednesday, he was convicted in a Moscow courtroom and sentenced to 5 years in a jail colony, his lawyer, Mikhail Biryukov, advised The New York Occasions.
Golos, which was based in 2000 and documented widespread election fraud, was labeled a “overseas agent” by the Russian authorities in 2013. However the prices towards Mr. Melkonyants relate to the group’s previous affiliation with the European Community of Election Monitoring Organizations, which the Russian authorities declared “undesirable” in 2021 — making any affiliation with it a possible crime. Golos has stated it terminated its participation with the affiliation following the choice.
The “undesirable” label has been used to outlaw unwanted groups, including NGOs and media organizations, and crack down on dissent. However Mr. Melkonyants was apolitical, Roman Udot, a longtime colleague who lives in exile, stated.
He famous that whereas numerous civil activists fled Russia following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Melkonyants insisted on staying put and specializing in his experience, with out taking sides.
Golos — which implies “vote” in Russian — documented in depth voting irregularities throughout the 2011 parliamentary elections. Anger about these violations sparked the biggest protests to date against Mr. Putin’s rule and spurred a broader opposition motion led by the late Aleksei A. Navalny.
After mounting pressure from the Russian authorities, Golos was designated a overseas agent in 2013. However it was solely after the warfare in Ukraine began that Russia’s safety providers cracked down more durable on the group, Mr. Udot stated.
Following his arrest, Mr. Melkonyants was listed as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty Worldwide, which said the election professional was being “persecuted solely for his civil activism.”
