Dec 23, 2011

News

Association GOLOS Turns to the Judicial System to Address Extrajudicial Harassment

In the lead-up to Russia’s December 2011 parliamentary elections, NED grantee Association GOLOS, a Moscow-based independent election monitor and publisher of the newspaper Grazhdansky Golos (Civil Voice), found itself operating in an increasingly hostile environment.

“Russia targets U.S.-linked election monitor,” in The Washington Post. :: VISIT

On Dec. 15, GOLOS (Russian for “voice”) pressed charges in connection with the extrajudicial harassment it experienced leading up to those elections.

In early December, GOLOS director Lilia Shibanova was detained at Sheremetyevo airport for 12 hours, and her laptop was seized by authorities without explanation. On the day of the elections, the GOLOS website and the GOLOS-supported site that allowed citizens to report electoral violations were attacked and left unavailable to users. Personal and organizational emails were hacked, and GOLOS correspondence was subsequently published by pro-government press agencies.

Grigory Melkonyants, GOLOS deputy director, filed the charges demanding that all of those responsible for ordering and carrying out these illegal acts should be duly prosecuted to show that these actions cannot be used against any law-abiding citizen or organization in the Russian Federation.

Read More

“NDI Calls on Russia to Stop GOLOS Harassment.” :: MORE
“NGO Fined As Kremlin Struggles to Curb Enormous Wave of Negative Emotion,” on Democracy Digest. :: MORE
Kremlin Targets Poll Monitors as Oligarch Calls for Reform to Avoid Catastrophe,” on Democracy Digest. :: MORE
“Kremlin Unleashes Attack Dog Against Poll Monitors,” on Democracy Digest. :: more
Visit the GOLOS website. :: VISIT
Visit the GOLOS map of electoral fraud. :: VISIT