Law enforcers block EcoWatch office in Krasnodar

Law enforcers in masks have blocked entrances to the office of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus" (EcoWatch) in Krasnodar and they are seizing PCs and office equipment, activist Viktor Chirikov reports today.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that earlier, the court has fined Yana Antonova, the coordinator of the Open Russia* in the Krasnodar Territory, for involvement in an undesirable organization. Today, Kuban activists have reported that law enforcers conducted searches at the Yana Antonova's apartment and at the EcoWatch office.

At 11:21 a.m. Moscow time, activist Viktor Chirikov informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that law enforcers blocked the territory of the building with the EcoWatch office. According to the activist, one police car was parked in the yard of the office building, while the other blocked an entry and an exit from the territory.

Viktor Chirikov associated the searches with the cooperation between the ecologists and Yana Antonova, the coordinator of the Open Russia*. According to Viktor Chirikov, the day earlier Yana Antonova visited the EcoWatch office and stayed there for the night. "They are looking for at least some mention of the Open Russia* in the EcoWatch office, and they are seizing PCs and office equipment," said Viktor Chirikov.

Meanwhile, the mobile phone of Andrei Rudomakha, the coordinator of the EcoWatch, is not available, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

* The activities of two organizations under name of ‘Open Russia’ are banned in Russia by the court decision

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 9, 2019 at 12:20 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.