Press Release, 2.08.2024

Photo: Ksenia Cherepanova / Photo by the regional branch of Yabloko

Yabloko considers the court’s decision unlawful and unfounded, it will be appealed. At the same time, Ksenia Cherepanova filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation demanding to exclude her from the register of persons “affiliated with a foreign agent”. The case will be considered by the Novgorod District Court. The first hearing will be held on 13 August.

The regional court ignored the court decision of 2021, which recorded the termination of Ksenia Cherepanova’s participation in the Golos independent observers movement on 4 July, 2021 (the movement was listed as a “foreign agent” in August 2021). A certificate from the movement stating that the politician is not a member was presented as evidence.

The court also accepted handwritten notes and illegible, unsigned tables provided by the Ministry of Justice as evidence that Cherepanova was a member of Golos. The judge refused to call representatives of the Ministry of Justice for clarification.

In addition, the defence insisted that the label should be removed from the politician according to the law, since more than two years have passed since Ksenia Cherpanova ceased participating in Golos, as required by law for labeling. The court refused to take this circumstance into account.

“It was hard to expect any other decision from the Judge. For the past 18 months, she has been the only one considering cases involving the Yabloko party and me personally, and she always makes decisions in favour of the authorities,” candidate Ksenia Cherepanova commented.

It should be noted that 11 Yabloko candidates in the Novgorod region are running in the regional and municipal elections under the slogan “For Peace and Freedom! For the Ceasefire Agreement!”.