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Alexej Navalny has been in custody in Russia since January (archive image)
Photo: Oded Balilty / dpa
The Russian government has officially banned several organizations with ties to the imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
The Ministry of Justice in Moscow set Navalnys
Anti-Corruption Foundation FBK,
its regional offices
as well as the foundation for the protection of civil rights
on his list of banned organizations.
The judiciary also took action against the opposition politician's brother, Oleg Navalny, and other comrades-in-arms.
A Moscow court had already classified Navalny's organizations as "extremist" at the beginning of June.
Since then, supporters and donors of the Kremlin critic have been on a par with members of Islamist organizations such as the "Islamic State" (IS) or Al-Qaeda, and they face prosecution.
According to another law, they are also excluded from elections.
The regional offices of the Navalny organization had already disbanded at the beginning of the year in order to protect employees from criminal prosecution.
Now the associations that promote opposition alliances at local and regional level are officially banned.
Navalny's anti-corruption foundation, which recently caused a stir with a documentary about alleged luxury possessions of President Vladimir Putin, was unimpressed.
"Well, we've been put on the banned organizations list," the organization said on Twitter.
"But that's okay!
They have banned us a million times. "
Meanwhile, a district court in Moscow sentenced Oleg Navalny to one year probation for violating corona rules.
He is said to have called for his brother to take part in an illegal demonstration in January.
The Russian judiciary has indicted other Navalny comrades-in-arms over similar allegations.
In addition, a court restricted Nikolai Lyaskin's freedom of movement.
According to his own statements, the 39-year-old activist is not allowed to leave Moscow for a year, has to stay away from public events and is no longer allowed to leave his apartment at night.
On Tuesday, a Moscow court had similarly restricted the freedom of movement of Navalny's close colleague Lyubov Sobol for 18 months.
Alexei Navalny is considered to be Putin's most important adversary.
A year ago he survived a nerve poison attack in Russia for which he blames the Kremlin.
After his treatment in Germany, he was arrested in Russia on his return in January and later sentenced to more than two years in a camp for alleged violations of probation conditions.
nek / AFP
