Member of the “Voice” Zhilkin was released from the capital’s TFR in the status of a witness

Vladimir Zhilkin, a member of the Golos movement (recognized as a foreign agent), was released from the building of the Investigative Committee (ICR) of Moscow after interrogation and issued an obligation to appear. He is involved in the case of organizing the work of an undesirable non-governmental organization (part 3 of article 284.1 of the Criminal Code) against Grigory Melkonyants, co-chairman of the movement. This was reported by “Mediazona” (recognized as a foreign agent).

As Vladimir Zhilkin told Mediazone, his interrogation began only after Mr. Melkonyants was taken to the main building of the Russian TFR on Technical Lane in Moscow.

According to him, the investigators were interested in the connections between Golos and the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO). He refused to answer questions on the 51st article of the Constitution, which allows not to testify against himself and close relatives.

Today, August 17, Grigory Melkonyants, as well as 14 other Golos employees in eight regions, including Moscow, Kazan and St. Petersburg, were searched. Regarding Mr. Melkonyants excited a criminal case on the organization of the work of an undesirable NGO (part 3 of article 284.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). He faces up to six years in prison. On the evening of August 17, the Dorogomilovsky District Court of Moscow arrested Golos coordinator Vladimir Yegorov (recognized as a foreign agent) for 15 days under the article on police disobedience (Article 19.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation).

The movement for the protection of the rights of voters “Voice” was created in 2013. On August 18, 2021, the Ministry of Justice entered Golos into the register of foreign agents. A year later, Roskomnadzor blocked the movement’s website. The department claimed that they blocked the site due to the publication of “inaccurate socially significant information about the Russian military operation in Ukraine.”

On September 27, 2021, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia recognized the activities of the European Network of Election Observation Organizations as undesirable. On the same day, Golos suspended its membership in this organization.

More details – in the material “Kommersant” “Voice was reminded of the connection with Europe”.

Olesya Pavlenko