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7 hours ago
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Source: AFP
Russia connected Wednesday sentenced a high-profile predetermination show to 5 years successful prison, portion of an intensifying crackdown by the Kremlin against autarkic critics and opponents.
Grigory Melkonyants, 44, is the co-chair of the Russian vote-monitoring NGO Golos, which records alleged fraud successful Russian elections.
"Melkonyants is recovered blameworthy and sentenced to 5 years successful a wide authorities situation colony," authorities media reported the justice arsenic saying successful Moscow's Basmanny territory court.
Melkonyants was arrested successful August 2023, arsenic portion of a crackdown connected Kremlin critics and opponents that has accelerated amid Moscow's subject violative connected Ukraine.
Prosecutors accused him of moving with a European predetermination monitoring relation -- the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations -- outlawed arsenic an "undesirable organisation" successful Russia.
Being declared "undesirable" efficaciously bans the radical from operating successful Russia and makes anyone who works for oregon collaborates with them liable to prosecution.
Melkonyants proclaimed his innocence passim the proceedings and denounced conditions successful the jailhouse wherever helium was being held.
He said helium had been forced to alteration compartment 8 times and had much than 100 antithetic cellmates since his arrest.
In his last connection to the tribunal earlier this week helium said helium felt "joy astatine having go stronger though this ordeal and not losing faith.
"During these years, hundreds of thousands of honorable and well-educated people person go observers," helium added.
His lawyer Mikhail Biryukov has denounced the charges arsenic "baseless".
Source: AFP
The authorities privation to "intimidate galore autarkic observers truthful they springiness up monitoring oregon stay soundless astir what they spot during these elections", said Biryukov.
Russia had labelled Golos a "foreign agent" -- a word utilized to stigmatise and people autarkic civilian nine and media outlets -- but it disbanded and reformed arsenic a caller entity.
The radical runs an online interactive representation with reports of predetermination violations successful nationalist and determination ballots crossed Russia.
Independent observers person agelong denounced Russian votes arsenic neither escaped nor fair.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was re-elected past twelvemonth with 87 percent of the ballot successful a contention successful which each genuine competitors were barred from standing.
International and home observers person for years reported wide ballot stuffing and elector coercion.
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Source: AFP
