The team of the imprisoned opposition leader said that Russian authorities have restricted access to the websites of Alexei Navalny and dozens of close allies.
The move was because the government increased pressure on opposition supporters, independent journalists and human rights activists before the country’s parliamentary elections. The September vote is widely regarded as an important part of Vladimir Putin’s efforts to consolidate his rule before the 2024 presidential election.
Putin, who has been in power for more than 20 years, Promote constitutional reform Last year, this may allow him to remain in power until 2036.
Navalny’s website and those of his top strategist Leonid Volkov and his long-time ally Lyubov Sobol were unavailable on Monday. It was not possible to access the website of the Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation and the network of approximately 40 regional offices, nor to the website of the Union of Doctors supported by Navalny, and an online page calling for his freedom.
According to Roskomnadzor, Russia’s state communications monitoring agency, access to all websites is restricted at the request of the Russian Attorney General’s Office. In a statement to Interfax, Roskomnadzor confirmed that these sites were blocked because they were “used to promote” extremist groups.
Navalny’s colleague Maria Pevchikh wrote on Twitter that they “decided to completely wipe us off the Internet.”
Putin’s most ardent political enemy Arrested in January When he returned from Germany, it took him five months to recover from Germany Nerve agent poisoning He blamed the Kremlin, and Russian officials refused to accept the accusation.
In February of this year, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for violating the probation clause for the 2014 corruption offence. He was dismissed due to political motives.
His arrest and imprisonment triggered a wave of protests in 11 time zones in Russia, which seemed to be a major challenge to the Kremlin. The authorities responded by arresting demonstrators on a large scale and bringing criminal proceedings against Navalny’s closest associates.
government Also banned The Anti-Corruption Foundation established by Navalny 10 years ago has released dozens of widely watched videos, exposing the suspected corruption of senior officials as an extremist organization and the network of regional offices on which he organized protests.
The ruling not only prohibits the operation of foundations and offices, but also prevents people associated with them from seeking public office and exposes them to long-term imprisonment.
Navalny’s team pointed out on Monday that the Smart Voting website is a supportive candidate project. The website is most likely to defeat the Kremlin-dominant United Russia candidate in various elections. The website is still available.
Volkov suggested that the authorities may block the strategic website near the September election, and Navalny’s team plans to deploy a smart voting project in the election.
Navalny’s close ally, Ivan Zhdanov, said in an Instagram post that the team was not surprised that these sites were blocked and were ready to take such actions. He urged supporters to follow Navalny’s team and its members on social media, “it’s harder to stop us there,” and download a mobile app that contains all recent surveys and smart voting projects.
“There is currently no way to block the application,” he wrote.
