The law “reinforces the systematic repression of democracy, human rights and freedoms,” EU Foreign and Security Policy High Representative Joseph Borrell said in a statement on Friday.
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“This new law is another tool against critical and opposition voices that will further reduce political pluralism in Russia,” the statement said.
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It has already been reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a law that bans candidates at all levels from standing for election to organizations recognized as extremist or terrorist.
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The law is published on the official legal information portal. It entered into force at the time of publication.
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In the media and society, the law is called the “Law Against the FBK” – an anti-corruption fund founded by oppositionist Alexei Navalny.
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In April, the Moscow prosecutor’s office asked the FBK, the Civil Rights Protection Fund and the Navalny headquarters to be recognized as extremist organizations.
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The law prohibits the candidacy of leaders, members and supporters of organizations declared extremist or terrorist, and is clearly directed against the Navalny Regional Headquarters Network and the FCB.
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The Russian authorities are trying to stifle Navalny’s activities ahead of the September State Duma elections. A Russian court is currently hearing a case concerning the recognition of the Navalny Regional Headquarters Network and the FCB as extremist organizations. The decision could be made as early as next week.
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The law prohibits leaders of extremist groups from running in parliamentary elections for five years and members and sponsors of those organizations for three years.
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This law could affect not only the functioning of the Navalnyn political network, but also the tens of thousands of people who supported it with donations.
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If the court upholds the prosecution’s claim, as it is likely to be, the organizations associated with Navalny will be banned and prosecuted against their employees, as well as people who have donated money to them and distributed their materials.
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Founded in 2011, FBK investigates corruption among officials by regularly publishing its findings, often in YouTube video format.
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The network of regional headquarters was set up during the Navalny pre-election campaign before the 2018 presidential election, although the opposition leader was barred from participating in the election.
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The network later backed the investigation into electoral fraud and promoted a so-called smart voting strategy, which the Putin regime apparently feared ahead of the autumn parliamentary elections.
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Navalny is currently serving a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for allegedly violating the terms of a suspended prison sentence handed down to him in 2014 while receiving treatment in Germany for poisoning by a war substance belonging to the Novičok group. Navalni believes that the Kremlin is behind his poisoning.
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