UN condemns Russia for barring anti-war party from elections, imprisoning deputy chair

GENEVA, Aug 20 — The United Nations expressed grave concern over Russia's decision to exclude the country's sole anti-war political party, Yabloko, from upcoming parliamentary elections, as well as the harsh 11-year prison sentence given to the party's deputy chair, Lev Shlosberg, for his anti-war statements. In a statement on X, UN rights chief Volker Turk labeled the actions as alarming and urged the Russian authorities to uphold freedom of expression and allow citizens to fully participate in the electoral process.

The UN's concern arose after Russia's Supreme Court on Monday upheld its exclusion of Yabloko from the September legislative elections and confirmed Shlosberg's lengthy prison term. The court's decision came after a nationalist party filed a suit against Yabloko, accusing it of receiving foreign funding and copyright violations due to its pro-peace stance.

Shlosberg, 63, is one of the few Kremlin critics who remains in Russia despite the government's crackdown on dissent following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He was found guilty of allegedly tarnishing the Russian military's reputation and sentenced accordingly.