Press Release, 14.08.2024

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

On 13 August, the Novgorod District Court considered the claim of Ksenia Cherepanova, a candidate in the by-elections of the Novgorod Regional Duma, against the Ministry of Justice. The politician demanded to be removed from the register of “persons affiliated with a foreign agent”. It emerged at the trial that the Ksenia Cherepanova had been included in the register twice. The judge refused to remove the Yabloko member’s foreign agent status.

Ksenia Cherepanova stopped participating in the unregistered election observation movement Golos in July 2021 (which was added to the register of “unregistered organisations performing as foreign agents” in August 2021), this fact is confirmed by a certificate from Golos, a decision of the Novgorod Regional Court dated 14 September, 2021, and documents from the Ministry of Internal Affairs dated 2021.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Justice twice included Cherepanova into the register of persons “affiliated with a foreign agent”. The first time – on 3 September, 2021, this was done by the territorial department of the Ministry of Justice at the request of the Electoral Commission of the Novgorod Region, indicating in the data the end date of Ksenia’s participation in Golos – 4 July, 2021. Officials from the Ministry of Justice continued to provide this information in 2022.

At the same time, a representative of the Ministry of Justice stated in court that the Yabloko member Ksenia Cherepanova was not included in any registers and lists of affiliated persons until 16 February, 2023. Only from that moment did the head Ministry of Justice include Ksenia Cherepanova in the register based on the information from 2021.

Thus, the politician was recognised as a person “affiliated with a foreign agent” twice: first by the regional Ministry of Justice, and then by the federal one.

“The trial once again showed that the inclusion and presence of people in the lists and registers of the Ministry of Justice of Russia represents complete arbitrariness and a gross violation of people’s rights. They include opposition-minded citizens there “on order” as many times as necessary, and it is impossible to get out of it,” the leader of the Novgorod Yabloko and Deputy Chairperson of the party, Ksenia’s sister Anna Cherepanova stated.

According to the law, a candidate and a person affiliated with a foreign agent are marked not for life, but for two years after the end of their participation in the activities of a foreign agent.

“In my case, three years have already passed, but the Ministry of Justice and the Electoral Commission decided that this “music will last forever”. The main thing is to change the batteries on time – once every two years including me once again and again in the register of persons associated with foreign agents,” Ksenia Cherepanova commented.

It should be also noted that the judge ordered security from the Russian National Guard for the hearing on the administrative claim of the Yabloko member, but judges usually do this only during criminal trials, fearing for their safety.

“The hearing took place in a large hall with a cage and in the presence of armed Russian National Guard officers in balaclavas, apparently to intimidate us. The same fighters broke into my home with a search in August 2023,” Ksenia Cherepanova said.

The Novgorod branch of Yabloko is preparing an appeal.