US EditionRussia convicts a prominent election monitoring activist and sentences him to 5 years in prison
- A Moscow court convicted Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of election watchdog Golos, on May 14, 2025, sentencing him to five years in prison.
- The conviction stemmed from charges of organizing work for an 'undesirable' organization linked to Golos' membership in a banned European network and occurred amid a government crackdown since 2022.
- Founded in 2000, Golos exposed election violations but faced escalating pressure after its 2013 foreign agent label, NGO liquidation in 2016, and inclusion on a 2021 foreign agent registry.
- Melkonyants and his defense deny the charges as baseless and politically motivated, with his lawyer Mikhail Biryukov stating, “there is no evidence” and pledging to appeal the verdict.
- The sentencing highlights ongoing Kremlin efforts to intimidate independent observers and suppress critics amid intensified repression since Russia’s 2022 Ukraine invasion.
93 Articles
93 Articles
Russian election monitor sentenced to 5 years over 'undesirable' organization links
A Moscow court on May 14 sentenced Grigory Melkonyants, the co-chair of independent Russian election monitor Golos, to five years in prison over allegedly participating in activities of an "undesirable" organization.Melkonyants was arrested in August 2023 in connection with Golos's claimed links to the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), a Montenegro-based international network of election monitors working in Europe an…
Russian Court Convicts Rights Defender on Bogus Charges
Click to expand Image Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of Russia's leading independent election monitoring group Golos, in a courtroom prior to a hearing in Basmanny district court in Moscow, Russia, October 9, 2024. © 2024 AP Photo A Moscow court on Wednesday sentenced prominent Russian rights defender and election monitor Grigory Melkonyants to five years in prison on charges of involvement with a foreign “undesirable organization.” It’s yet ano…
Russia sentences election watchdog Grigory Melkonyants to 5 years in prison
A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced well-known election watchdog Grigory Melkonyants to five years in prison after it found him guilty of allegedly working for a so-called "undesirable" organization.
Russian election watchdog boss sentenced to five years in penal colony
The head of Russia's main independent election watchdog Golos has been sentenced to five years in a penal colony. Grigory Melkonyants was found guilty of collaborating with an "undesirable organization". Melkonyants has been in prison since 2023. He claims the charges are politically motivated. After the verdict was announced, he shouted from his glass cell to several dozen journalists and supporters present: "Don't worry, I'm not despairing. Yo…
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