Russia Jails Election Monitor Grigory Melkonyants for Five Years

Grigory Melkonyants, co-founder of the election monitoring group Golos, has been sentenced to five years in a Russian prison after being convicted of associating with a foreign organization deemed “undesirable” by the government. His trial and conviction follow an intense crackdown on civil society and dissent in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.

Grigory Melkonyants, a prominent figure in Russian electoral oversight, was sentenced on Wednesday to five years in prison by a Moscow court. His conviction stems from charges relating to his association with the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations, which Russian authorities listed as “undesirable” in 2021. This ruling comes during a wave of repression targeting independent voices and organizations in Russia, particularly following the onset of the Ukraine conflict.

Melkonyants, 44, co-founded Golos, Russia's sole independent election monitoring group, which notably exposed widespread voting fraud during the 2011 parliamentary elections. This revelation triggered significant protests against President Vladimir Putin's regime. However, Golos was designated a "foreign agent" in 2013, marking the beginning of a strategic crackdown on civil society. Melkonyants remained resolute in his dedication to electoral transparency, opting to remain in Russia while many activists chose exile.

Following Melkonyants’ arrest in 2023, he was declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, which condemned his imprisonment as a violation solely driven by his civil activism. Russian authorities have increasingly wielded the “undesirable” label to suppress dissent, targeting non-profits and media. Colleagues have underscored Melkonyants’ non-political stance, asserting his commitment to objective electoral oversight despite the threats posed to civil liberties in contemporary Russia.