Moscow has outlawed Open Russia and two other NGOs associated with former oil tycoon and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Open Russia has called for an anti-Putin protest this Saturday in Moscow.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Z.Dzhavakhadze
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Russia's prosecutor general on Wednesday labeled OR (Otkrytaya Rossia), the Institute of Modern Russia and the Open Russia Civic Movement - all founded by or associated with prominent Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky - as "undesirable."
The ruling is part of a controversial Russian law that outlaws foreign groups and NGOs accused of "political meddling."
"These organizations are carrying out special programs and projects on the territory of the Russian Federation aimed at discrediting the upcoming election results in Russia and having them declared illegitimate," prosecutors said.
The three organizations' activities were allegedly "directed at inspiring protests and destabilizing domestic politics, which is a threat to the foundations of the Russian constitutional system and state security."
Khodorkovsky: Putin's most famous enemy
For over ten years he was regarded as "the most famous prisoner of Russia." Now Mikhail Khodorkovsky is free. Here's a look back at the turbulent life of the Kremlin critic.
Image: Reuters
Time to move on
"The rules were applied harder than usual on me," Khodorkovsky said at a press conference this past Sunday in Berlin. The former oil tycoon was in prison for the past ten years. When asked of his future plans, he replied with a twinkle in his eye: "I regained my freedom just 36 hours ago. I haven't had time to make any big plans."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Successful career
In 1989, Khodorkovsky took the chair of the Commercial Innovation Bank for scientific and technological progress, which was one of modern Russia's first private banks. In 1997, he was CEO of Yukos, one of Russia's largest oil companies, a job that made him a billionaire - but not without controversy.
Opposing positions
Along with his wealth, his power and influence grew as well: Khodorkovsky publicly criticized corruption in the country. He financed liberal parties and opposition candidates - much to the displeasure of then President Vladimir Putin. In February 2003, he and Khodorkovsky had a heated televised debate. A few months later, he was arrested.
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Behind bars
In June 2004, the first trial of Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev began. Both were sentenced to nine years behind bars in a penal colony for serious fraud and criminal conspiracy . An appeal later saw the sentence reduced to eight years.
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The empire is crushed
Khodorkovsky's empire was effectively destroyed: Yukos was sold little by little and eventually deleted from the commercial register of Russia. Putin adviser Igor Sechin - now head of Rosneft, which bought parts of Yukos - orchestrated the forced sale. Khodorkovsky disappeared in the custody of Russian authorities.
Image: AP
Hunger strike in no-man's-land
Khodorkovsky was first moved to a prison camp in Krasnokamensk, close to Russia's border with China and Mongolia. In December 2006, he was transferred to a prison in Siberia, where he spent his time working, reading and writing. In response to a fellow prisoner not being given urgent medical treatment, Khodorkovsky went on a hunger strike. After 11 days, he was successful.
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Khodorkovsky the hero
The second Khodorkovsky trial, in 2010, was accompanied by demonstrations. His followers protested the initial verdict as politically motivated and fought for his release. But Putin, then prime minister, remained obstinate. Out of the blue, in December 2013, Khodorkovsky was pardoned and released with immediate effect.
Covert diplomacy
After his release, Khodorkovsky arrived in Germany, where he was received by former Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher. For two years, he had fought for the release - together with Khodorkovsky's defense. He led numerous talks, met twice with President Putin and organized Khodorkovsky's emigration to Germany - completely under the radar.
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Everyone wants Khodorkovsky
The media interest was immense when Khodorkovsky's whereabouts were made public. TV teams and journalists in the country interrupted their Christmas holidays to cover the story. But Khodorkovsky quickly withdrew to Berlin's high security Adlon Hotel to meet his parents and his eldest son Pavel. On Sunday (22.12.13), he made his first public appearance.
Image: Reuters
Leaving the past behind
Less political - this is Khodorkovsky's new image. At the press conference in Berlin, he said he did not intend to finance the Russian opposition. He also voiced no desire to enter Russian political life.
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Groups placed on the Justice Ministry's "undesirables" list are banned from releasing publications in Russia and could see their bank accounts blocked and assets frozen. Anyone found cooperating with them could be hit with a fine, jail time or be denied entry into Russia.
Rights group Amnesty International said the move marked the first instance that a group founded by Russians and operating only in Russia had been placed on the list.
"Russian authorities have worked relentlessly for many years to create the most hostile environment for civil society possible," Sergei Nikitin, Amnesty's Russia branch director, said in a statement. "Open Russia's activity was a huge obstacle for them, be it defending human rights, supporting independent candidates in elections at different levels and acting as a media outlet. By banning this organization, they think they've overcome this obstacle."
The General Prosecutor's Office called Open Russia and the Institute of Modern Russia, respectively, a British and US institution as justification for placing them on the list.
The groups' backer Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man and the former owner of oil giant Yukos, was controversially convicted on fraud charges in 2003. He maintains that the charges were fabricated by the Kremlin to punish him for funding political opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin and voicing his own political ambitions. He was unexpectedly pardoned by Putin in 2013 and has lived abroad since.
Following the decision by the Justice Ministry, Khodorkovsky said on Twitter that he was "proud" to be on the list, adding "we've touched a nerve."
The former tycoon also called for an anti-government protest on Saturday in Moscow, which has been advertised on the Open Russia site under the banner "See you on April 29."
