Grigory Melkonyants has been transferred from Moscow

Grigory Melkonyants, the co-chair of the Golos movement, has been moved from Moscow. This was reported by his lawyer, Mikhail Biryukov.

“Today, Grigory Melkonyants was taken from Pre-Trial Detention Centre No. 1 to an unknown location. This happened before the verdict came into legal force, before the appeal had been considered and before he had received a written copy of the verdict.”

On 14 May 2025, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow found Melkonyants guilty of “organising the activities of an undesirable organisation in Russia” and sentenced him to five years in a general-regime penal colony, followed by a nine-year ban on participating in public activities.

On the same day, the defence announced its intention to appeal against the court’s decision and subsequently filed an appeal. However, the lawyers have yet to receive the official text of the verdict.

The Golos movement considers the verdict against Grigory Melkonyants to be politically motivated. We have repeatedly explained why the charges brought against our colleague are unfounded.

You can read more about how the court hearings unfolded here (in Russian).