RUSSIALINK: “Moscow City Court prohibits certain FBK activities as part of prosecution service’s motion for ban on FBK” – Interfax

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MOSCOW. April 27 (Interfax) – The Moscow City Court has upheld the prosecution service’s motion and imposed interim measures on the Anti-Corruption Foundation and the Citizens’ Rights Protection Foundation (FBK and FZPG, both listed as foreign-agent NGOs in Russia), founded by opposition activist Alexei Navalny, in the context of the prosecution service’s motion for a ban on their operations.

The court pronounced the ruling on Tuesday, the Moscow City Court press service told Interfax.

“The bans are not listed, considering that the case has been heard in camera and the determination is not subject to publishing,” the press service said.

Navalny’s associate Leonid Volkov published the text of the prosecution service’s motion on Monday. The prosecution service asked the court to prohibit FBK and FZPG from using state, municipal, and other types of mass media and publishing their materials on the Internet, from taking part in elections and referenda, and from using bank deposits except for settlements required by the economic activity of those organizations, compensation of the damage done by their activity, payment of taxes, duties or fines, and payments made under labor contracts.

Meanwhile, FBK Director Ivan Zhdanov said that the ban on certain activities did not pose a risk to the donations received by the foundation. “There is no ban on the FBK operation at this point. Only certain activities of ours have been prohibited, such as publication of information on certain webpages. Therefore, donations to FBK pose no risk until the court proclaims its ruling on the case merits. Before such risks arise, we will automatically block the possibility of donating to us,” Zhdanov said on Telegram.

He noted that it was not possible to donate to the regional staffs of Navalny, whose operation had been suspended on the orders from the Moscow prosecutor.

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