Alexei Navalny.
Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
On Monday, on the eve of parliamentary elections, Russian authorities banned access to the website of the imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, as well as the websites of 48 other individuals and organizations associated with him.
The Russian court approved the prosecutor’s request last month, declaring the organization associated with Navalny as an extremist organization, effectively banning it and preventing his allies from participating in the September elections for the lower house of the State Duma.
The United States and the United Kingdom condemned the court’s ruling as a baseless blow to the Russian political opposition.
Russian Internet watchdog Roskomnadzor said in a statement to Reuters on Monday that at the request of the Attorney General, it has taken action to block navanny.com, the main website of banned sports and other websites in Russia.
publicity
It said these sites help the campaigns covered by the court’s ban to promote and continue illegal activities.
Navalny’s team condemned the move and stated on social media that the authorities are expected to soon target its so-called smart voting site, which advises people on how to vote tactically in an attempt to drive candidates out of the ruling United Russia Party. .
Navalny’s ally Leonid Volkov (Leonid Volkov) said that he and others will soon explain what people should do to prevent the site from being blocked.
Navalny is the most famous domestic critic of President Vladimir Putin. He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for violating parole regulations, which he said was fabricated. His imprisonment increased tensions between Russia and the West, which prompted his release.
