A report was drawn up against the coordinator of “Golos” under the article on participation in an “undesirable organization”

The police opened an administrative case under the article on participation in the activities of an undesirable organization (Article 20.33 of the Administrative Code) against the coordinator of the Kirov “Voice” Denis Shadrin for observing the mayoral elections in Tbilisi in October 2021. This was reported by “7×7 – Horizontal Russia”.

Police believe that, while observing the elections, Shadrin collaborated through Golos with the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO) - on September 27, 2021, the Prosecutor General's Office recognized her as “undesirable.” Then the “Voice” movement suspended its membership in this organization.

Previously, a similar case was opened against activist Evgeniy Dolgopolov, who also observed the Georgian elections in October 2021. Dolgopolov registered as an observer from the Polish NGO Political Accountability, which is not included in the register of “undesirables.”

However, upon returning to Russia, the activist discovered that a report had been drawn up against him under Art. 20.33 of the Administrative Code - due to the fact that he allegedly collaborated with Golos, and through Golos with ENEMO. As evidence, the police then cited a letter from the “darknet” in which the chairman of the “Voice” movement, Roman Udot, indicated a list of people who went to Georgia to observe. Dolgopolov was fined, and in June the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court approved this fine.

During the proceedings in the Dolgopolov case, Nizhny Novgorod State University political scientist Anton Shmelev, at the request of the prosecutor’s office, prepared an examination that the Russian movement “Golos” is allegedly a “member and founder” of ENEMO. Lawyer Anastasia Burakova and lawyer Vadim Klyuvgant then expressed concern that this precedent could become the basis for pressure on other participants in “Golos”.

• “Golos” is a Russian public movement of independent election observers. Its members regularly face pressure from the authorities: they are labeled as “foreign agents,” removed while monitoring polling stations, and once evicted from a boarding house the night before municipal elections.