Civil Society Organisation of the Week

Week-ending 29 January 2021

On 27 January 2021 police raided the headquarters of Aleksei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation in Moscow after investigators opened a new inquiry into alleged breaches of coronavirus restrictions during last week’s mass protests. The Anti-Corruption Foundation had recently published an investigation into a £1bn palace allegedly built for President Vladimir Putin’s personal use and was an organiser of the protests against Putin on 23 January 2021. Police also raided the homes of Aleksei Navalny, Kira Yarmysh (Navalny’s press secretary), Liubov Sobol and other aides.

Source:

The Guardian, 27 January 2021: Police have raided Alexei Navalny’s apartment and the headquarters of his Anti-Corruption Foundation in Moscow after investigators opened a new inquiry into alleged breaches of coronavirus restrictions during last week’s mass protests. According to several Russian media outlets, police also detained Navalny’s brother Oleg, who previously served a three-and-a-half year prison sentence in what the Kremlin critic had called a “hostage” situation. It is not yet clear why he would be detained. On Wednesday evening police banged at the door of Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, who yelled back that her lawyer was on the way. After breaking through the door, police searched the house and later detained Navalny’s brother, according to media outlets MBKh Media and RTVI. At the same time, a close Navalny ally, Lyubov Sobol, demanded that police identify themselves as they prised open the door to a studio that broadcasts Navalny Live. Investigators searched the offices of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, the team that put out a recent investigation into a £1bn palace allegedly built for Putin’s personal use. Police also raided the homes of Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s press secretary, and other aides.