Observers from Golos said that they were recognized as “foreign agents” because of 171 rubles for a taxi and fees from Meduza.

The Ministry of Justice provided the coordinators and leaders of the Golos election observer movement with grounds for including them in the register of media outlets as “foreign agents.” about this They spoke after receiving objections from the ministry in court.

Golos was recognized as a “foreign agent” in August 2021, a month before the Duma elections, and coordinators 20 Golos regional and members of the movement’s council were recognized in September. They appealed the decisions in court.

The coordinator of “Voice” in Tambov said that the Ministry of Justice, in its objections to the claim, explained his inclusion in the register by the fact that in February 2020 he received 171 rubles from a dental student from Morocco. Zhilkin recalled that he was working part-time as a taxi driver, and the student did not have cash with him.

The Ministry of Justice charged the coordinator of “Voice” in Samara with receiving 15 thousand rubles from a teacher from France, who rented her apartment for a month in 2019. “I even registered her in the apartment, she worked here for a year on a work visa... That’s all - a foreign citizen and you are a foreign agent,” the observer wrote .

A member of the board of the Golos movement, Arkady Lyubarev, was recognized as a “foreign agent” due to a fee of 20 thousand rubles from Meduza in April-July 2020. Meduza was added to the register of media outlets as “foreign agents” a year later, in April 2021.

The coordinator of “Voice” from Tver said that in its objections to the lawsuit, the Ministry of Justice mentioned the transfer from the card of a Nigerian citizen for selling Aeroflot miles on the Internet. the coordinator from Barnaul The Ministry of Justice charged with a transfer from a partner of Golos, recognized as a “foreign agent” of the League of Voters foundation, and another 200 rubles from a builder from Tajikistan.

Lyubarev added that two observers from Golos were recognized as “foreign agents” for travel allowances received during international observation, and two more, like Kiltau, for transfers from the League of Voters. One of the observers also had “translations from two students to whom she gave lessons.” Lyubarev did not mention their names in his post.