Russia: co-chair of embattled election watchdog recognised as prisoner of conscience

Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of Golos, is currently on trial after his arrest last year

The election monitor’s prosecution is part of a broad crackdown on civil society, with 190 organisations in Russia officially designated ‘undesirable’

‘His continued detention is an affront to justice and human rights’ - Denis Krivosheev

Amnesty International condemns the detention and trial of Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of the Russian election watchdog Golos, which began on 27 September, with Amnesty  designating Melkonyants a prisoner of conscience who’s being persecuted solely for his civil activism.

A prominent figure in Russian civil society, Melkonyants was arrested on 17 August 2023, shortly before the federal and local elections held on the same day, and ahead of the 2024 presidential campaign. 

He was charged with “organising the activities of an undesirable organisation” (article 284.1(3) of the criminal code) and, if found guilty, could face up to six years’ imprisonment.

Melkonyant has faced numerous violations of his right to a fair trial. His pre-trial detention was extended multiple times, beyond the maximum permissible under Russian law period of one year.

Golos, the watchdog Melkonyant co-chairs, has become a powerful voice in exposing electoral fraud in Russia, organising election observation missions, educating voters and promoting democracy. The Russian authorities falsely claim that Golos is part of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organisations, which in 2021 they declared “undesirable”. Golos has rejected these allegations and insists it has no links with this network.

Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director, said:

“The Russian authorities have long tried to silence Golos, first under the ‘foreign agents’ law and then under the even more draconian ‘undesirable organisation’ legislation.

“The case against Grigory Melkonyants reflects the broader trend of repression in Russia, where the authorities have increasingly targeted civil society organisations, journalists and activists under the pretence of upholding national security and preventing foreign interference.

“This relentless suppression of civil society, including through repressive laws, must end, and these laws - including those on the ‘undesirable organisations’ - must be abolished.

“For over a year, Grigory Melkonyants has been arbitrarily deprived of his liberty. He is facing a politically-motivated prosecution for his role in upholding electoral transparency in Russia. His continued detention is an affront to justice and human rights.

“The Russian authorities must release Grigory Melkonyants immediately and unconditionally and drop all charges against him.”

History of official attacks on Golos

In 2013, the Golos Association was one of the first organisations to be labelled a “foreign agent,” a status - as Amnesty has documented - that not only imposes strict reporting requirements and tarnishes a NGO’s public image, but has a truly devastating effect on civil society activities by unduly restricting the exercise of the human rights to freedom of association and freedom of expression, amongst others. As a result of this designation and increasing governmental pressure, the Golos Association’s executive director Liliya Shibanova had to leave Russia and the organisation was formally dissolved in 2016. However, an eponymous Golos Movement was formed in 2013 to carry on the Golos Association’s work. It did not require registration under Russian law.

In the run up to the 2021 parliamentary elections, the Russian government escalated its attacks on Golos, which was once again labelled a “foreign agent”. In 2022, courts in two Russian regions issued administrative fines against Golos activists, ruling that their observation of the Georgian elections in October 2021 had been participation in an “undesirable organisation” - the European Network of Election Monitoring Organisations. In August 2023, these rulings were used as grounds to prosecute of Grigory Melkonyants despite other regional Russian courts’ rulings finding no link between the European Network of Election Monitoring Organisations and Golos.

The “undesirable organisations” law, enacted in 2015, allows the Russian authorities to arbitrarily label foreign and international organisations as such, under unsubstantiated claims that they pose threats to state security, thereby banning their activities in the country. No entity has been able to successfully challenge the designation in court. As of last month, 190 organisations in Russia had been designated “undesirable”.