A Russian independent election monitoring group accused the authorities on Friday of attempting to prevent oversight of the upcoming regional and presidential elections by arresting one of its leaders and storming the homes of dozens of other members. The Russian news agency TASS reported that authorities detained Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of the Golos (Voice) group, early Thursday morning and placed him under official arrest by a Moscow court ruling for allegedly being involved in the activities of an "undesirable organization." His lawyer indicated that Melkonyants could face a six-year prison sentence.
The organization stated that police also searched the homes of dozens of current and former Golos members across the country, confiscating money, bank cards, passports, and other documents. They added that one person was hospitalized after being assaulted on the head and back, while another was detained for 15 days for disobeying police. Golos linked the raids to the regional elections scheduled for September 10 and the upcoming campaign for the presidential elections in March 2024, where Vladimir Putin is expected to seek another six-year term.
Stanislav Andreychuk, co-chair of the Golos group, stated, "We are convinced that the real purpose of this attack is to interfere with public monitoring" of the elections. The Kremlin has not yet responded to a request for comment. The Russian government has classified Golos as a "foreign agent," carrying implications related to espionage.
