The Basmansky district court of Moscow said on August 18 that the co-chairman of the Golos movement, Grigory Melkonyants, has been ordered into pretrial detention until October 17 on a charge of "running an undesirable organization," which carries a sentence of up to six years in prison. Police searched the Moscow office of Golos and the homes of the movement's members in Moscow and other parts of Russia on August 17. Established in 2013, Golos has monitored elections in Russia and other nations since the early 2000s. Last year, Golos and its 20 regional coordinators were designated as "foreign agents." To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Russian Service, click here.
Russian Election Monitor's Co-Leader Ordered Into Pretrial Detention
Golos Co-Chairman Grigory Melkonyants (file photo)