Russia Rights Group Linked to Navalny Closes Amid Prosecution Fears
From The Guardian
A rights group in Russia has announced it is shutting down, citing fears its members and supporters may be prosecuted after authorities blocked its website for allegedly publishing content from an “undesirable” organisation.
Team 29 – an association of lawyers and journalists specialising in treason and espionage cases and freedom of information issues – said on Sunday that Russian authorities accused it of spreading content from a Czech non-governmental organisation that had been declared “undesirable” in Russia.
The group’s website was blocked on Friday, even though it rejected the accusations, and its lawyers said they believed the government’s next step could be to prosecute members and supporters.
“In these conditions, continuation of Team 29’s activities creates direct and clear threat to the safety of a large number of people, and we can’t ignore that risk,”
-Group 29
The group said it would take down all its online content in order to avoid any risks and that its lawyers would continue representing their clients in a personal capacity.
The closure of Team 29 comes as pressure mounts on opposition supporters, independent journalists and human rights activists in Russia ahead of September’s parliamentary elections. The vote is widely seen as an important part of President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to cement his rule ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The 68-year-old leader, who has been in power for more than two decades, pushed through constitutional changes last year that would potentially allow him to hold on to power until 2036.
In recent months, Russian authorities have increased the pressure on independent news media, designating two popular independent outlets, Meduza and VTimes, as “foreign agents” and outlawing the publisher of the Proekt investigative media outlet, while also listing its journalists as “foreign agents”. VTimes shut down shortly after that.
Last month, a Moscow court outlawed organisations founded by imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny by labelling them extremist. The ruling barred people associated with Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption and his sprawling regional network from seeking public office. Many of Navalny’s allies had planned to run for parliamentary seats in Russia’s September elections.
Team 29, including its prominent lawyer Ivan Pavlov, was involved in defending Navalny’s foundation in court. In April, Russian authorities launched a criminal case against Pavlov, who is also representing a former journalist accused of treason in a high-profile case, accusing him of disclosing information related to a police investigation.
