UN slams Russia’s ban on anti-war party in elections

The United Nations expressed concern on Wednesday over Russia's decision to prohibit the country's sole anti-war political party, Yabloko, from participating in upcoming parliamentary elections, as well as the lengthy prison sentence given to the party's deputy chair, Lev Shlosberg. The UN's top human rights official, Volker Turk, voiced alarm at the ban on Yabloko and the sentencing of Shlosberg to over 11 years in prison for anti-war speech.

This came after Russia's Supreme Court affirmed on Monday the party's exclusion from the September legislative elections, following a week-long struggle where dozens of party supporters were arrested outside the court. The court's decision to remove Yabloko from the ballot was based on a lawsuit filed by a nationalist party, which criticized Yabloko's peace stance, accused it of receiving foreign funding and copyright violations.

Additionally, on Monday, a Pskov court in northwestern Russia handed Shlosberg, 63, a lengthy prison sentence for allegedly attempting to discredit the Russian Armed Forces. The UN's office urged authorities to respect freedom of expression and citizens' rights to fully and freely participate in electoral processes, emphasizing that peaceful dissent should never be criminalized.