{
  "id": 1955720,
  "title": "UN slams Russia’s ban on anti-war party in elections",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/un-slams-russias-ban-on-anti-war-party-in-elections-1955720",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-19T14:36:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/08/19/un-slams-russia-ban-prison-sentence-targeting-anti-war-party"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United Nations has strongly condemned 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 rights chief Volker Turk expressed alarm over both actions, emphasizing the need for respect for freedom of expression. The ban came after Russia's Supreme Court confirmed a previous ruling to exclude Yabloko from the elections, following a dispute over the party's foreign funding and copyright violations. Shlosberg, 63, received an 11-year prison term for criticizing Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, despite being one of the few Kremlin critics remaining in the country. The UN's office called on authorities to uphold freedom of expression and the citizens' right to freely participate in electoral processes.",
  "summary": "UN rights chief Volker Turk calls for freedom of expression after Yabloko is barred and party leader Lev Shlosberg is jailed for more than 11 years over anti-war speech.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "UN slams Russia’s ban on anti-war party in elections",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/un-slams-russias-ban-on-anti-war-party-in-elections",
        "published": "2026-08-19T14:36:30.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}