Press Release, 13.08.2021

Photo: Ruslan Zinatullin / Photo by the Press Service of the Tatarstan branch of Yabloko

The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Vakhitovsky district of Kazan appealed to the court with a demand to recognise Ruslan Zinatullin, Chairman of the Tatarstan branch of Yabloko, the leader of the regional list of Yabloko candidates in the elections of the State Duma and the Yabloko candidate in single-mandate constituency No. 31, as the one involved in the activities of the “extremist organization” Alexei Navalny Headquarters. The court session is scheduled for 20 August.

Earlier, a similar claim from the Public Prosecutor’s Office came to the Vakhitovsky court against Yelena Izotova, a Yabloko candidate for the State Duma and Chair of the Yabloko Green Russia faction in Tatarstan.

According to Zinatullin, all evidence of his involvement in Alexei Navalny’s headquarters is based on the fact that he posted publications from the mass media on his social networks, but the politician emphasises that these were reposts of articles from the press, and not information from Navalny’s Headquarters. There are also legal violations in the lawsuit.

In addition, the Public Prosecutor’s Office claims that the Chairman of the Tatarstan branch of Yabloko allegedly was the organiser of the action with flashlights in support of Alexei Navalny, which took place on 14 February. The Public Prosecutor’s Office refers to the fact that there was an agreed rally against political repression, organized by Zinatullin, in Kazan on that day, however the rally, organised by the Yabloko Chairman had been announced long before the announcement of the rally in support of Navalny.

“The claim of the Public Prosecutor’s Office is nonsense and fabrications that are difficult to comment on. This is complete nonsense,” the leader of the Tatarstan branch of Yabloko said.

“The removal of candidates from Yabloko in Tatarstan is the only chance for the authorities so that people do not hear the truth at the debates, and do not have the ability to vote for those whom they would like to see as their representatives. This is also an attempt to weaken [public] control over the elections, because in case of withdrawal, we will not be able to send observers to the polling stations,” Ruslan Zinatullin emphasised.

It should be noted that the Moscow City Court made a decision to cancel the registration of Lev Shlosberg as a candidate for State Duma in a single-mandate constituency on the administrative claim of Andrei Pangayev, a candidate for State Duma deputy in single-mandate constituency No. 207 from the Green Party.

On August 6, an administrative protocol was drawn up against Alexander Korovainy, a candidate for State Duma from Yabloko, for his deleted video in support of Alexei Navalny.

On August 7, the Rostov police disrupted a meeting with voters of Alexander Ryabchuk, a Yabloko candidate for the State Duma.

Candidates for deputies of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg faced difficulties during registration. A candidate from the Green Alternative party and a self-nominated candidate tried to remove Boris Vishnevsky, Deputy Chairman of Yabloko, from elections complaining on his posts about the need to protect the detainees, but the relevant electoral commissions did not support the complaint.