Atlantic Council declared an undesirable organisation by authorities

Peaceful Assembly

Local elections in the spotlight: Protests for Moscow City Council

A wave of protests started in Moscow in mid-July 2019, sparked by the electoral committee's decision to prevent some opposition candidates from running in the next city council election scheduled for 9th September 2019. The authorities claimed that the candidates failed to provide valid signatures. This claim is denied by the opposition candidates. The protests continued over the following days, gathering around 20,000 people requesting fair elections.

On 27th July 2019, as citizens started gathering for another day of protest, the police blocked protesters from reaching the City Hall. According to an independent monitoring group, at least 1,300 people were arrested that day.  Days before the protest -which was not authorised by the government- Aleksei A. Navalny, the opposition leader who had called for the demonstration, was sentenced to 30 days in jail for planning to lead the demonstration. Other candidates were also detained, including lya Yashin, the head of the Krasnoselsky municipal district of Moscow; Dmitry Gudkov, former State Duma member and municipal deputy Yulia Galiamina. 

Amnesty International issued a statement calling for the release of peaceful protesters: 

“Russian authorities today hit a new low by imposing military law-like security measures on the unsanctioned rally, blocking access to major Moscow streets and shutting down businesses in advance of the demonstration despite the absence of credible reports of potential violence." 

On 3rd August 2019, the protests continued and authorities again used force against protesters, detaining at least 800 people, including minors. In addition, it was reported that at least 18 protesters were hospitalised due to injures suffered during their arrest. 

The Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner, Dunja Miyatovic, sent an open letter to Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev. calling on decision-makers "to review the methods and criteria used by police to identify and detain people during peaceful gatherings." 

Petition against police anonymity

Several citizens in Russia launched an online petition to request law enforcement officials to wear visible identification, including on their helmets. The initiative comes as a result of the numerous acts of violence used by law enforcement forces on citizens, especially during the protests. The authors of the petition claim that they want to eliminate the anonymity of police involved in acts of violence and to help identify those who are guilty of using force against citizens.

Association

On 25th July 2019, Russia’s Attorney General’s Office announced that the Washington-based think tank, the Atlantic Council, was declared an “undesirable organisation” on Russian territory. The statement explained the reasons for the decision as "it was established that the activities of this organisation pose a threat to the fundamentals of the Russian Federation’s constitutional system and security."

In a separate incident, on 22nd July 2019, Yelena Grigoryeva, an activist for the Alliance of Heterosexuals and LGBT People for Equal Rights was found murdered. Grigoryeva had reportedly notified the police that she was receiving death threats from unknown people, but the police did not take any further action. 

After her death, the St. Petersburg LGBTQI rights organisation “Vykhod” (Exit) requested the police to investigate the involvement of the “Saw Against LGBT” movement. According to the organisation, the anti-LGBTQI movement published a list of activists against whom it claimed to be preparing “very dangerous and brutal gifts.” Yelena Grigoryeva was included in the list. 

Expression

On 25th July 2019, Mikhail Romanov, a journalist for Yakutsk Vecherny (The Evening Yakutsk), was sentenced to a fine of 30,000 rubles ($475) by the city court of Yakutsk, on charges of “abuse of freedom of information by publishing false information that poses a threat to the public". According to reports, the charges were brought after Romanov published an article in April 2019 reporting claims that Federal Security Service agents tortured academic and activist Anton Ammosov. 

On 6th June 2019, Meduza investigative journalist Ivan Golunov was detained in Moscow and charged with "possession of a controlled substance" after the police claimed to have found a package inside his bag containing an “unidentified substance,” which they later identified as mephedrone (a synthetic amphetamine). Golunov was only allow to see a lawyer after 14 hours in detention and he claimed he was beaten while in detention. 

The media community and supporters protested the detention, arguing its link to his work exposing corruption. After the detention sparked a national and international outcry, the journalist was released and charges against him were dropped.