From Human Rights Watch

(Moscow) –Russian authorities opened their first criminal case against a Russian activist for alleged involvement with a so-called “undesirable” foreign organization, Human Rights Watch said today. On January 23, 2019 Rostov-on-Don court placed Anastasia Shevchenko, a member of the Open Russia Civic Movement (ORCM), under house arrest as a suspect.

ORCM is an unregistered pro-democracy movement of Russian citizens, founded in 2016, which Russian authorities view as part of an organization registered in the UK under the same name and banned by Russia in 2017. Activists have repeatedly said that they are not connected to the banned UK-based organization.

“The criminal prosecution of Anastasiya Shevchenko is a blatant attack on freedom of association in Russia,” said Rachel Denber, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Both the draconian law and this prosecution are being used solely to intimidate activists trying to counter corruption, election fraud, and human rights violations in Russia.”

Police arrested Shevchenko on January 21, and she learned then that they had opened the criminal case on January 18. Her home was searched, and she spent two nights in police custody. On January 23, the court in Rostov-on-Don transferred Shevchenko to house arrest until March 20.

Russia’s law on “undesirable organizations,” adopted in 2015, authorizes the prosecutor general to ban from the country any foreign or international organization that it perceives as harming Russia. Russians accused of involvement with an “undesirable organization” face administrative charges punishable by a fine. Those found guilty of two administrative violations – misdemeanors – within one year may face criminal charges and a maximum six-year prison sentence.

Read full article here.