Russia continues arrests of banned pro-peace Yabloko party members

Russia has continued arresting members of the Yabloko opposition party, detaining two candidates on Sept. 4 as parliamentary elections approach, the party announced.

In August, Russia’s Supreme Court banned the Yabloko party from participating in upcoming parliamentary elections taking place Sept. 18-20.

The move bars Yabloko from running in the Russian State Duma’s party list, which accounts for 225 seats, but members can still run for another 225 seats that are tied to constituencies.

Russian authorities arrested Anna Shatunovskaya-Byurno and Grigory Grishin on Sept. 4 for allegedly displaying extremist symbols, a charge that prohibits a suspect from running in elections for a year if convicted, the Yabloko party’s press service said.

Another Yabloko candidate, Artem Snegovsky, was also detained days earlier on Sept. 1.

Shatunovskaya-Byurno has a court hearing set for Sept. 8, days before Russia’s parliamentary elections.

The arrests come as, weeks earlier, Russian opposition figure Lev Shlosberg was sentenced to 11 years and one month in prison for making statements opposing the war against Ukraine, Yabloko announced on Aug. 17.

Shlosberg was accused of repeatedly discrediting Russia’s army and disseminating fake news about the Russian military, actions criminalized under Russian law.

Yabloko is considered the only Russian political party opposed to Russia’s war against Ukraine.