ICR asked to arrest the co-chairman of the movement “Voice” Melkonyants

The investigation asks to arrest until October 17 the co-chairman of the all-Russian public movement in defense of the rights of voters “Voice” (recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent) Grigory Melkonyants. He was charged under an article on organizing the work of an NGO that is undesirable in Russia (part 3 of article 284.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the maximum punishment is imprisonment for up to six years). The case is being heard in the Basmanny Court of Moscow.

“The court received materials from the investigation on the choice of a preventive measure in the form of detention for Grigory Melkonyants,” RIA Novosti was told in court. Lawyer Mikhail Biryukov said that he would need some time to familiarize himself with the materials.

On the initiation of a criminal case against Grigory Melkonyants became known yesterday, August 17th. His apartment was searched, operational activities were also carried out at 14 Golos employees in eight regions, including Kazan, Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Stanislav Andreichuk, co-chairman of Golos, told Kommersant that the searches could be related to the activities of the European Network of Election Observation Organizations project, which was recognized as undesirable in the Russian Federation.

Golos was created in 2013, and the movement was entered into the register of foreign agents in 2021. The Golos website was blocked in 2022 due to the publication of “inaccurate socially significant information about the Russian military operation in Ukraine.” Golos became the first organization to be included in the new register of unregistered organizations acting as a foreign agent.

Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Ella Pamfilova today, August 18, expressed hope for an objective trial in the case of Grigory Melkonyants. She told Vedomosti that the Golos co-chairman helped the CEC with “professional criticism.”

Read more about the case in the publication “Kommersant” “Voice was reminded of the connection with Europe”.

Maria Fedotova