AI demands to stop persecuting Roman Zaitsev

The human rights organization "Amnesty International" (AI) has reacted to the administrative case, initiated against Roman Zaitsev, the coordinator of the "Open Russia", for his participation in the activities of an "undesirable organization". Russian authorities are holding a "vicious campaign" of fight against the opposition, rights defenders assert.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the reason for Roman Zaitsev's administrative case was his publication in social networks in support of the Rostov activist Anastasia Shevchenko.

The case against Roman Zaitsev was instituted under a repressive article on participation in the activities of an "undesirable organization". The reason for this was in the reposts of the articles of the "Open Russia" about the activist Anastasia Shevchenko made by him, and the call to release her, says the AI's release posted on January 31 by the AI's website.

If the spread of news about the activities of an opposition organization becomes the basis for persecution, it threatens thousands of people who make reposts and retweets, and who quote materials of opposition organizations, rights defenders have stressed.

The AI has treated the persecution of Roman Zaitsev as "ruthless".

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 1, 2019 at 05:17 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.