Navalny’s surname was equated with extremist symbols

Courts in four regions of Russia equated the surname of opposition politician Alexei Navalny with extremist symbols. This is reported by the human rights project “First Department”.

The project refers to three administrative offense resolutions issued to participants in Navalny’s commemorative actions in Chelyabinsk, Krasnodar, and Murmansk. Earlier it was reported about the protocol for mentioning Navalny in Ulyanovsk.

The courts ordered administrative arrests of the participants of the actions for the name of Navalny on their posters. In the rulings, the courts referred to the fact that the Anti-Corruption Fund, recognized by the Russian authorities as an extremist organization, repeatedly used the name and surname “Alexei Navalny” as “attributes and symbols”.

“Pervyy Otdel” notes that the “expertise” of the whistleblower Danyla Mikheev was used to describe the “violated” circumstances. His conclusions have been used more than once by the courts in cases involving the demonstration of prohibited symbols, despite the fact that in 2022 the Ministry of Justice declared Mikheev “unqualified”.

“Navalny’s surname has not been prohibited by any court decision and cannot be prohibited,” First Department writes. Human rights defenders believe that, given such a wide geography, the punishment for the surname can be considered a practice, and not excesses in places.

• In 2021, the Russian authorities declared FBK and the Headquarters of Alexei Navalny extremist organizations. Demonstration of their symbols is punishable up to a criminal penalty.