Over 20 Russian politicians barred from State Duma race over ‘extremist symbols’ charges
At least 21 Russian politicians have been charged with displaying “extremist” or Nazi symbols — charges that bar them from running for office — ahead of elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, according to Novaya Gazeta Europe, an independent Russian news outlet.
Fourteen of those charged are members of Yabloko, four belong to Russia’s Communist Party (KPRF), one is from A Just Russia, and two others are independents: Tomsk activist Anton Isakov and Moscow-region politician Boris Nadezhdin.
In most cases, the charges stemmed from politicians posting photographs of Alexey Navalny online, images associated with his projects, or footage from his funeral. In 18 of the 21 cases, the resulting fines were minimal — ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 rubles.
Earlier, sources who spoke to Meduza said the pressure on Boris Nadezhdin was driven by security officials seeking to clear the political field ahead of elections to the lower house of Russia’s parliament.
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