UN calls on Russia to lift election ban on anti-war party

GENEVA: The United Nations on Wednesday called on Russia to lift its ban on the anti-war party Yabloko running in September’s parliamentary elections.
“We are deeply concerned about the barring of Yabloko, one of Russia’s oldest political parties, from the September parliamentary elections,” said a statement from the UN Human Rights Office.
“We call on the authorities to overturn the ban,” it added.
On Monday, Russia’s Supreme Court barred Yabloko from the elections, upholding a legal action brought by a pro-Kremlin nationalist party.
With Ukrainian retaliatory strikes on refineries and e-commerce warehouses increasingly disrupting ordinary Russian life, Yabloko had hoped to capitalize on its peace agenda, particularly among young voters.
It also wanted to tap into widespread anger at Internet shutdowns introduced by authorities to counter Ukrainian drone attacks.
In recent years, Yabloko’s members have come under increasing scrutiny for their opposition to the fighting.
Party leader Nikolay Rybakov told AFP around 40 party activists were facing prosecution.