Press Release, 20.08.2021

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

A judge of the Vakhitovsky District Court of Kazan recognised Ruslan Zinatullin, Chairman of the Tatarstan branch of Yabloko and a candidate for the State Duma from Yabloko, involved in the activities of an “extremist” organisation Navalny Headquarters. The law suit was initiated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Ruslan Zinatullin tops the regional list of the Yabloko party in the elections to the State Duma, and is also a candidate in single-mandate constituency No. 31.

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

Ruslan Zinatullin intends to appeal against the court decision. Zinatullin called the claims of the Public Prosecutor’s Office “absurd”, pointing out that he had never held joint events with Alexei Navalny’s structures.

Activists of the Tatarstan branch of  Yabloko believe that the authorities plan to remove Yabloko candidates from the State Duma elections on the basis of such decisions of the courts.

“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 possibility 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 noted.

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.

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.

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