Russian authorities suspended the offices and operations of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, pending a court ruling on whether to ban them as an extremist organization.
Allies of Navalny posted messages on social media Monday about the injunction filed by the Moscow prosecutor’s office, which seeks to outlaw and restrict activities of the Foundation for Fighting Corruption.
“They’re just screaming here: We’re scared of your activities, we’re scared of your protests,” Ivan Zhdanov, Navalny’s top ally and director of the foundation which opened 10 years ago, wrote, according to a translation of a tweet.
Деятельность Штабов Навального и ФБК сразу немедленно приостановили. Они просто тут кричат: мы боимся вашей деятельности, мы боимся ваши митинги, боимся умное голосование pic.twitter.com/QYU7bpKvkA
— Ivan Zhdanov (@ioannZH) April 26, 2021
Navalny’s group has established a reputation for targeting high-ranking Russian officials with corruption exposes. Amnesty International, a human rights organization, said an extremist designation for his group would be “one of the most serious blows for the rights to freedom of expression and association in Russia’s post-Soviet history.”
ALEXEI NAVALNY TO END HUNGER STRIKE
Earlier this month, the prosecutor’s office petitioned a court to label the foundation and network of regional offices as extremist groups. They seek to stop Navalny and allies from spreading information in the media, participating in elections, and using banks or organizing events, according to Ivan Pavlov, a lawyer representing Navalny’s team, the Associated Press reported.
The ruling on whether the court will label his group as extremist is expected later on Monday.
Kremlin dissident Navalny remains in prison and recently ended a three-week hunger strike after doctors warned he could die within days. The strike was meant to draw attention to the lack of medical care he was receiving.
His imprisonment stems from a violation of his parole after he spent months in Germany recovering from an attempted poisoning by Russia’s security services. The Kremlin denies any accusations of poisoning the opposition leader.
Upon returning from Germany, Navalny was imprisoned on Feb. 2 for violating terms of a suspended sentence stemming from a 2014 embezzlement conviction widely believed to be politically motivated.
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In recent weeks, the events surrounding the opposition leader have led to more amplified public protests speaking out against the Kremlin. Authorities have responded to some protests by arresting hundreds of participants standing in solidarity with Navalny.
