Press Release, 23.08.2021

Photo: Lev Shlosberg’s campaigners in the Khovrinsky single-mandate district of Moscow. /Photo from Lev Shlosberg’s Facebook page

The First Court of Appeal dismissed Lev Shlosberg’s appeal against the decision of the Moscow City Court to cancel his registration as a candidate for the State Duma in the Khovrinsky single-mandate constituency No. 207 in Moscow.

The court rejected Shlosberg’s request to involve the Central Electoral Commission of the Russian Federation to give an opinion on the case and request the results of the examination by the Ministry of Justice of Russia of Shlosberg’s candidacy.

The court rejected sending a request to the Constitutional Court on the constitutionality of the application of the norms on restricting passive suffrage with retroactive effect.

The court also refused to admit the Yabloko party to participate in the case as an interested person which actually nominated Shlosberg a candidate representing the party.

We consider the court’s decision unreasonable and unlawful. It will be appealed in the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation within five days, Lev Shlosberg said.

It should be noted that on 20 August, a court in Kazan recognised Ruslan Zinatullin, a Yabloko candidate for the State Duma, involved in an “extremist” organisation.

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.

Viktor Rau, Yabloko’s candidate to the State Duma in the Altai Territory, was removed from the elections for his participation in the January rallies.

In Nizhny Novgorod the Central Electoral Commission withdrew journalist Natalia Rezontova from elections to the State Duma.

Yabloko candidate to the State Duma Anatoly Nogovitsyn was notified of his involvement in the activities of an “extremist organisation”.