Grigory Melkonyants, a prominent Russian election expert and co-chair of the independent elections monitoring group Golos, was sentenced in a politically motivated case to 5 years of imprisonment today. The fabricated charges under so-called “undesirable organisations” legislation were due to his firm stance and work for democracy, pluralism and fundamental freedoms.

The EU has repeatedly over the last decade condemned Russian legislation that is serving as a tool to prosecute activists and human rights defenders, aiming at crippling civil society and restricting the fundamental freedoms.

The EU stands in solidarity with all those Russian citizens who want to see an open and democratic Russia, and who want Russia to end its illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine. The Russian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners and to abandon the oppressive legislations used to suppress civil society and independent voices.