Russia's Crackdown: Election Watchdog Chief Arrested, Human Rights Group Shut Down

The head of Russia's last independent election-monitoring campaign group, Grigory Melkonyants, has been arrested and detained, along with 14 of his associates, as part of a major crackdown on democratic bodies by the Kremlin. Melkonyants faces a maximum sentence of six years in prison for allegedly working with "undesirable" international organizations. In addition, the Moscow City Court has liquidated the human rights group Sakharov Center, citing violations of the law. These actions are seen as an attempt to stifle the activities of these organizations and further restrict civil society and free media in Russia.