Overview
- Russia’s Supreme Court upheld the cancellation of Yabloko’s federal candidate list and a Pskov court sentenced deputy chairman Lev Shlosberg to 11 years and one month in a penal colony, actions that took place on Monday, August 17.
- Shlosberg was convicted under wartime censorship laws for repeated “discrediting” of the armed forces (Article 280.3) and for spreading “deliberately false information” (Article 207.3) over a 2025 debate and a 2022 repost, and prosecutors had sought a slightly longer term.
- Independent outlets documented procedural problems in Shlosberg’s trial, including reliance on disputed evidence, defense lawyers missing hearings, and the judge refusing direct questioning, while authorities detained dozens of Yabloko supporters and some journalists outside the Supreme Court.
- Yabloko says it will pursue further legal remedies, including supervisory review and possible Constitutional Court challenges, but removing the party from the federal list effectively blocks a nationwide pro‑peace option because Russia allocates half of Duma seats via party lists.
- Rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch condemned the cases as reprisals for anti‑war speech, and observers say the moves fit a wider pattern since 2022 of using foreign‑agent labels and new criminal laws to shrink political pluralism in Russia.