On 31 May, Andrei Pivovarov, a former Executive Director of “Open Russia”, was removed from a plane in Saint Petersburg and detained for alleged violations of the law on so-called “undesirable organisations”.
This case is not an isolated incident but confirms a continuous pattern of shrinking space for civil society, the opposition and critical voices as well as independent media in the Russian Federation. The European Union calls on the Russian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Mr Pivovarov.
The EU once again urges the Russian authorities to repeal the legislation on “undesirable organisations”, bringing it in line with the commitments Russia has freely assumed under European and international human rights law, including the European Convention on Human Rights of the Council of Europe.
Source: Russia: Statement by the Spokesperson on the detention of Andrei Pivovarov