Statement on the termination of activities of the movement “Golos”

The All-Russian Movement for the Defence of Voters' Rights “Golos” has stopped its activities.

This marks the end of a history which, according to investigators and the court, lasted 25 years. We thank all those who dedicated their time and efforts over the years to building effective institutions and fair elections in our country. Golos never sought to support any particular political force. Election observation is not a political activity, but rather a means of defending Russia’s constitutional system and citizens' right to participate in governance, which is guaranteed by the state.

Unfortunately, following Grigory Melkonyants' criminal conviction, we are no longer able to continue this work. The persecution of the election monitoring community and the 'Golos' movement undermines the constitutional foundations of the country yet further.

The Basmanny District Court in Moscow found our colleague and co-chair of Golos, Grigory Melkonyants, guilty of organising the activities of a foreign or international organisation deemed 'undesirable' in the territory of the Russian Federation. The defence had been awaiting the written verdict for a long time and has only recently received it. Essentially, the court equates “Golos” with ENEMO, despite the fact that ENEMO has never observed elections or conducted any activity in Russia.

No evidence of unlawful activity by 'Golos' was presented during the trial, nor was there any suggestion that our work harmed the interests of the Russian Federation or its citizens. In fact, our work was deeply patriotic as it focused on defending the genuine sovereignty of Russian citizens — their right to participate in the governance of their country.

Nevertheless, the court’s decision leaves us with no alternative. Not only does it place all “Golos” participants under threat of criminal prosecution, it even extends to individuals who sought advice or legal assistance from us.

Furthermore, the arrest and detention of our friend and colleague Grigory Melkonyants had one purpose only: to silence “Golos”.

Therefore, in accordance with Article 284.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, we are voluntarily terminating the activities of the All-Russian Civic Movement for the Defence of Voters' Rights “Golos”.

All regional branches of “Golos” have been dissolved. The mandates of all regional heads, members of regional councils, audit commissions, the National Council and co-chairs have been terminated prematurely. All projects initiated by the movement have been closed. The operation of all informational resources, including the movement's website, the “Map of Violations” and social media accounts, has ceased and they will no longer be updated. If you had signed up for recurring donations to partner organisations supporting the movement, these donations will no longer be charged to your bank cards.

If you are in Russia or plan to visit, we strongly recommend that you refrain from reposting content from the movement's “Golos” websites or social media accounts. If you have previously shared such materials, we recommend deleting them to avoid providing law enforcement with grounds to prosecute you for disseminating content from an 'undesirable organisation'.

Unfortunately, justice does not always prevail — one must fight for it. There is always a risk of failing. This time, that is what happened.

Goodbye.