Russia on Wednesday declared the activities of the Free Russia Forum, a conference of Russian political opponents founded by former chess champion Garri Kasparov that takes place every six months in Lithuania, “undesirable” for threatening “its constitutional order and security”.
The Office of the Prosecutor General of Russia said in a statement published on its website that the decision was adopted “on the basis of the results of the study of the material received” and indicated that the activities of the forum “are undesirable in terms of territory of the Russian Federation”.
“Information about the decision has been sent to the Ministry of Justice of Russia for inclusion in the list of foreign and international non-governmental organizations whose activities are considered undesirable in the territory of the Russian Federation and subsequent publication,” he added. please.
The forum, founded in March 2016 by Kasparov and Ivan Tiutrin, former executive director of the democratic movement Solidarnost, states on its website that “it is an independent platform of the Russian opposition to discuss issues of Russian and international politics, as well as to find solutions to bring Russia out of its political, economic and civilizational crisis”.
“The central objective of the forum is the formation of an intellectual alternative to the regime of [o Presidente russo, Vladimir] Putin, to create a framework to build a new Europe-oriented Russia.”
Eleven meetings of the Free Russia Forum have taken place since March 2016, while three conferences have been organized in Vilnius since the start of the war in Ukraine on 24 February 2022 under the auspices of that NGO.
In March 2022, Moscow included Kasparov in its roster of foreign agents, along with Yukos oil company oligarch and director Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who both attributed “political activity” against Russia and received money from organizations in Ukraine and the United States. .
A Moscow court today sentenced a journalist in absentia to eight years in prison for the crime of speaking disparagingly about Russia’s armed forces – the latest step in the country’s brutal crackdown on dissidents.
Alexander Nevzorov, a television journalist and former member of parliament, was convicted of spreading false information about the Russian military under a law passed shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to invade Ukraine.
The law effectively exposes anyone who criticizes Russia’s military action in Ukraine to fines and prison terms of up to ten years.
Nevzorov was accused of publishing “false information” on social media about Russian bombing of the maternity hospital in the port city of Mariupol, next to the Sea of Azov, an event in which Moscow vehemently denied involvement.
The journalist, who moved abroad after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, has yet to comment on the verdict.
Prominent opposition politician Ilya Yashin was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison under the same law in December 2022, while another opposition figure, Vladimir Kara-Murza, is in custody on similar charges.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far led to the flight of more than 14 million people – 6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than eight million to European countries – according to the most recent data from the UN. which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
Currently, 17.7 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid and 9.3 million need food aid and shelter.
The Russian invasion – justified by Putin with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending arms to Ukraine and imposing political and economic sanctions to Russia.
The UN presented as confirmed since the start of the war, which today entered its 343rd day, 7,110 civilian deaths and 11,547 wounded, underlining that these numbers are far below the real ones.
Source: DN
