The Moscow Times: Russia on Monday reported 29,409 new coronavirus cases — the second highest number of daily infections since the beginning of the pandemic — and 957 deaths from Covid-19.
RFE/RL: The jailed former executive director of the pro-democracy Open Russia movement, Andrei Pivovarov, has been charged with heading an “undesirable” organization, an accusation that stems from a six-year-old law that has repeatedly been used to target critical voices.
Human Rights in Ukraine: Nariman Dzhelyal’s lawyers learned on 8 October that the imprisoned First Deputy Chair of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis had been secretly moved against his will to a psychiatric hospital. There are no grounds, even according to Russian legislation, for ordering any ‘psychiatric assessment’ and Dzhelyal’s lawyer, Nikolai Polozov is convinced that this is part of Russia’s punitive system aimed at putting pressure on detainees.
RFE/RL: The European Council has announced sanctions against eight individuals who are “responsible for enforcing Russian law” in occupied Crimea in a move that comes as senior EU officials travel to Kyiv for a major EU-Ukraine summit.
RFE/RL: Imprisoned opposition leader Aleksei Navalny says prison officials in Russia have declared him a person “who espouses an extremist and terrorist ideology,” but officially no longer regard him as an escape risk.
The Moscow Times: Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said Monday that his prison has lifted his designation as a “flight risk” and placed him on its “terrorist watch list.”
The Moscow Times: Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has congratulated Dmitry Muratov on his Nobel Peace Prize win Monday, days after the Novaya Gazeta editor-in-chief’s win highlighted deep divisions in Russia’s opposition.
