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A Russian court on Wednesday banned groups linked to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny after declaring them extremists, a move that bars his allies from elections and will further strain US-Russian relations ahead of a closely watched summit.
President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden are due to meet in Geneva next week with the fate of Navalny and the crackdown on his movement which will certainly be on the agenda.
Washington, which asked Moscow to release Navalny, condemned the court ruling, the State Department calling it “particularly disturbing.” The Kremlin says the affair is purely national, not Biden’s affair. He portrayed Navalny as a US backed troublemaker, which Navalny denied.
Wednesday’s decision, the latest chapter in a long crackdown on Putin’s fiercest domestic opponent, deals a final hammer blow to a vast political network Navalny has built over many years in an attempt to challenge the grip of the veteran Russian leader on power.
Putin, 68, has been in power as president or prime minister since 1999. Navalny, in prison for violation of parole related to a case of embezzlement which he said was fabricated, had launched a daring challenge to Putin via street protests and corruption investigations he had hoped would result in a change of leadership.
The lawsuit against Navalny’s network was brought by the Moscow Chief Prosecutor’s Office which accused Navalny and his allies of trying to foment a revolution by seeking to destabilize the socio-political situation inside Russia with their activity.
A spokesperson for the Moscow prosecutor’s office told reporters on Wednesday he was happy with the ruling which recognized Navalny’s allies staged illegal street rallies that ended in mass unrest.
After a 12.5-hour closed-door legal hearing, Navalny’s lawyers said in a statement they would appeal and the evidence presented by prosecutors had not been satisfactory.
The legal offensive mirrors those carried out in the past against far-right groups, Islamist organizations and Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have also been declared “extremists” by the courts and banned.
Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny participates in a rally to mark the 5th anniversary of the murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov and to protest proposed amendments to the country’s constitution, in Moscow, Russia on February 29, 2020 . REUTERS / Shamil Zhumatov / File Photo
Navalny and his allies have denied the prosecutor’s allegations, presenting them as an attempt to crush their political opposition to the ruling United Russia party ahead of the parliamentary elections in September.
In a post to Navalny’s Instagram account, apparently written in anticipation of what was a widely anticipated move, Navalny was quoted as urging his supporters not to be discouraged.
“We’re not going anywhere,” the message read.
“We will digest this, sort things out, change and evolve. We will adapt. We will not back down from our goals and our ideas. This is our country and we have no other.”
The prosecutor’s request officially ends the activity of a network of groups set up by Navalny, 45, who is serving a 2.5-year prison term, which many Western countries have described as revenge on political motivation for his anti-Kremlin political activities. .
Specifically, the decision targets the Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation, which has conducted wide-ranging investigations into allegations of official corruption, and the Navalny regional campaign headquarters which has mobilized in the past to organize anti-corruption protests. -Kremlin.
The authorities now have the formal power to imprison activists and freeze their bank accounts if they continue to operate. The case had already prompted Navalny’s allies to suspend the groups even before the decision.
As the verdict drew near, Putin signed a law last week banning members of extremist organizations from running for office.
Combined with Wednesday’s decision, the new legislation puts an end to the hopes of some Navalny allies to run for parliament.
They say they will instead try to use a smart or tactical voting strategy to seek to undermine support for the ruling pro-Kremlin party, a strategy that Kremlin sources have disparaged.
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