Press Release, 18.03.2018

Yevgeny Vitishko, official representative of presidential candidate Grigory Yavlinsky, head of the Krasnodar Territory branch of Yabloko and ex Sochi Olympic prisoner, said that observers and activists in the Krasnodar Territory had been subjected to administrative pressure from local authorities. He handed files on all violations to Andrei Babushkin, member of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights.

The Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights established regional monitoring groups to monitor voting on 18 March. The group for the Krasnodar Territory and Adygea was headed by Andrei Babushkin, who arrived in the region on a working visit.

On the night of 16 March, Razmik Simonyan, lawyer of Navalny’s headquarters and one of the coordinators of observers, was detained in Krasnodar. He was convicted under Article 19.3 of the Administrative Offences Code of the Russian Federation (“disobeying to lawful orders of police”). The next day police officers came to the apartments of other activists. Police officers came to apartments of Viktor Chirikov, his first wife and relatives. They asked questions about his plans for 18 March and also hinted that on 19 March riots could take place in the city, and Viktor Chirikov could be involved there.

In Sochi, Konstantin Gudimov was take to police station by police and officers of the anti-extremism department. The activist is accused of posting a picture of an “extremist nature” in one the social networks in 2013, where Putin was compared to Hitler. Gudimov was going to be an observer in these elections.

A police officer David Andreyev made a report on Gudymov in accordance with part 1 of Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (“propaganda of Nazi’s symbols”).

On 17 March, Konstantin Zykov, coordinator of Navalny’s headquarters and territorial electoral commission member, was detained in Sochi. The police also detained his wife Tatyana Zykova together with him. She was charged with Article 19.3 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation (“disobeying to lawful orders of police”).

Zykov is a member of an electoral commission from the Just Russia party. The police had no right to keep him in the police station without the consent of the city Public Prosecutor.

In Armavir, the court arrested Yevgeny Volkov, coordinator of the “Armavir Opposition Bloc”, for 10 days for non-payment of insurance for his car. Yevgeny Volkov was going to coordinate the monitoring of the presidential election on 18 March Armavir. Volkov is also a member of the electoral commission with a deliberative vote.

On 14 March,  Askhab Alibekov, blogger and former paratrooper, who in his video criticised Vladimir Putin, was arrested for 10 days in Novorossiysk. He was also going to participation in the observation of the presidential elections on 18 March.