Russia Blocks Numerous Navalny Organization Websites Ahead of General Election

"Due to the Ruling on the Illegalization of the Navalny-Linked Organization"

Alexei Navalny (Photo by Reuters)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Ahead of the September general election, Russia has blocked a large number of internet sites related to Alexei Navalny, a political opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin and an anti-government figure.

According to Interfax news agency on the 26th (local time), the Russian telecommunications regulatory authority, the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, announced that it blocked Navalny-related information assets at the request of the prosecution.

The regulatory authority stated, "From today, the Anti-Corruption Foundation, the Foundation for the Protection of Citizens' Rights, Navalny's Headquarters, and others have been used to promote and maintain extremist activities, and access to information assets related to the operation of these sites has been blocked."

Earlier, the Moscow City Court designated the Anti-Corruption Foundation, a non-governmental organization organized and operated by Navalny, its successor the Foundation for the Protection of Citizens' Rights, and Navalny's Headquarters, a nationwide social movement organization, as extremist groups on the 9th of last month.

It also ordered the closure of the Anti-Corruption Foundation and the Foundation for the Protection of Citizens' Rights, and banned the activities of Navalny's Headquarters.

This measure came just over a month before the September general election, effectively dismantling the activities of Navalny's organizations, the only prominent opposition activist in Russia.

The Anti-Corruption Foundation, established by Navalny in 2011, is an organization that exposed corrupt enrichment by high-ranking officials in Russian politics and led nationwide protests.

In April, the Russian court designated the Anti-Corruption Foundation and other organizations led by Navalny as extremist groups, making them illegal.

Navalny's Headquarters, launched in 2018 as a regional election campaign office while preparing for the presidential election, has since operated as a nationwide social movement organization conducting anti-corruption investigations and supporting prominent opposition candidates.

The Moscow prosecution office filed a lawsuit with the Moscow City Court requesting recognition of these three organizations as extremist groups, stating, "These organizations are carrying out activities under liberal slogans to create conditions for social and political instability."

The local daily Kommersant reported, "49 websites of Navalny and his associates have been blocked."

Navalny, a prominent opposition activist and 'political rival' of President Putin, collapsed last August due to poisoning symptoms and was treated in Germany. He returned to Russia in January this year and was immediately arrested.

In a subsequent trial, his suspended sentence from 2014 on fraud charges was converted into a prison sentence, and he is currently serving 3 years and 6 months in prison.