A Chelyabinsk resident told 7x7 that after attending a court hearing on a lawsuit seeking to remove Yaroslav Shcherbakov, head of Yabloko’s regional branch, from the election, she received a text message ordering her to appear at the prosecutor’s office. There, she was issued a formal warning against participating in unauthorized public gatherings and advised to “be more careful,” with officials explaining that the measure was part of checks being conducted ahead of the election.
Today, Shcherbakov said that his supporters had begun receiving summonses to the prosecutor’s office, where they were being issued formal warnings. The politician appealed to the head of the regional directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Chelyabinsk Oblast prosecutor, demanding that they stop putting pressure on citizens. He stressed that the court hearings were open to the public and that the right to attend them is guaranteed by the Constitution.
On September 8, the Chelyabinsk Oblast Court removed Yaroslav Shcherbakov from the State Duma election over copyright claims involving Banksy graffiti and a quote by Andrei Gromyko.
