Police conduct a search at house of activist from Astrakhan

The police conducted a search at a house of Astrakhan lawyer Sarvan Gasanov after the activist had held a picket in support of Alexei Navalny*. Sarvan Gasanov claimed that the seized leaflets were planted to him and suggested that law enforcers intended to institute a criminal case against him under the article on extremist.

Law enforcers came to Sarvan Gasanov’s house on July 6. Earlier that day, unidentified people drew the letter “Z” on the gate in in front of the lawyer’s house. During the search, the law enforcers found leaflets from Navalny’s headquarters**, and the man believes that they could be planted to him, the human rights project “OVD-Info”*** reports with reference to an acquaintance of Sarvan Gasanov.

The law enforcers showed Sarvan Gasanov a photo from the picket in support of Alexei Navalny* held on July 4, where the poster contained the logo of the Anti-Corruption Foundation* recognized as an extremist organization. According to the Sarvan Gasanov’s version, no such poster appeared at the picket.

“Since March, they have not given me a quiet life. In early June, they told me that I had to leave, or there would be serious problems,” Sarvan Gasanov said as quoted by the “Kavkaz.Realii”*** reports.

The “Caucasian Knot” has also reported that Astrakhan activists Yaroslav Savin and Marina Mitaleva left Russia, fearing a fabrication of a criminal case against them because of their civil position.

*Alexei Navalny is included in the list of extremists and terrorists by the “Rosfinmonitoring” (the Russian Federal Service for Financial Monitoring). He is a founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (known as FBK), an NCO that is included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of NCOs performing functions of a foreign agent. The NCO is also recognized by a court as extremist and banned in the territory of Russia. Alexei Navalny was sentenced conditionally in a case on fraud, and in February 2021, his conditional sentence was replaced with imprisonment. In a penal colony, Alexei Navalny was charged with fraud and contempt of court and sentenced to 9 years of imprisonment. He is also accused of disorganizing the penal colony, extremism, and the rehabilitation of Nazism. In April 2023, Alexei Navalny said that he faced a life sentence in the case on terrorism. Recognized as a “prisoner of conscience.”

**Navalny's offices are recognized as extremist organizations and banned in Russia.

***Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.