Press Release, 17.09.2020

Ronald Ayrapetyan, Yabloko activist from Kislovodsk, told the media that he was threatened with murder if he continued to take action against Putin and United Russia.

According to Ayrapetyan, on the evening of 12 September, he was returning home after a walk with a friend. An unidentified masked man with a knife was waiting for the activist in the stairway.

“I went up the stairs and he hit me twice in the stomach. Then he held a knife somewhere 10-15 centimetres from my face, and said that if I go out against Putin and his party on the territory of the Stavropol region again, they will kill me 100%. I said in a frightened low voice that I would not go out again, and he slowly but carefully descended the stairs, left the entrance and disappeared,” the activist said.

The next day, the activist left the region, fearing the implementation of threats.

It should be noted that earlier Ronald Ayrapetyan was repeatedly put under pressure, he was detained by the Kislovodsk Mayor’s Office on June 26 during his picket against Vladimir Putin’s amendments to the Constitution and the reset of Putin’s presidential terms.

After a single picket, Ronald Ayrapetyan received threats from unidentified persons. The activist found a note with threats in his mailbox on 8 July. The note rans that if Ronald Ayrapetyan cames out to protest against Putin again, he would go to jail. Shortly after that the activist of the Stavropol branch of Yabloko was fired from his job for his political stance.  Vitaly Zubenko, Chairman of the Stavropol branch of Yabloko, called on the Public Prosecutor’s Office to deal with the unlawful persecution of the activist of the Stavropol branch of Yabloko.