In Chuvashia, a lawyer was fined due to a link to Open Russia; eight more similar courts are ahead

On September 21, the Novocheboksarsky City Court in Chuvashia fined Aleksey Glukhov, head of the human rights project Apology for Protest, five thousand rubles for linking to the Open Russia website , which was recognized by the Russian authorities as an "undesirable organization." From September 24 to September 30, the court will have to consider eight more similar protocols drawn up on Glukhov. It is reported by Mediazona.

Glukhov was found guilty under the article on participation in the activities of an “undesirable organization” (Article 20.33 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).

On August 26, the prosecutor's office drew up nine protocols on Glukhov's connection with Open Russia. The reason was eight posts on Facebook and one tweet with links to the organization's website.

In addition, on August 26, Alexei Glukhov was fined 1,500 rubles under the article on the distribution of extremist materials (Article 20.29 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) because of a video posted on Twitter in 2016, in the frame of which there is the slogan "Orthodoxy or death."

• On September 17, Yury Sidorov, a former Open Russia activist from Chuvashia, was charged under an article on participation in the activities of an “undesirable organization” (Article 284.1 of the Criminal Code).
• On April 26, 2017, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office declared a number of organizations associated with Mikhail Khodorkovsky undesirable. The list includes UK-registered OR Otkrytaya Rossia, Open Russia Civic Movement, Open Russia and Institute of Modern Russia, Inc, registered in the USA. The Russian authorities believe that the Open Russia movement is related to these legal entities, and therefore is also an undesirable organization on the territory of the Russian Federation.
• In May, the council of Open Russia announced the liquidation of the organization in order to protect its supporters from criminal prosecution. The decision is related to amendments to the law on “undesirable organizations” (Article 284.1 of the Criminal Code). According to the amendments, in order to initiate a criminal case on participation in the activities of an “undesirable organization”, an alleged participant needs only one decision that has entered into force under Article 20.33 of the Code of Administrative Offenses.