A call for a free internet has become the reason for the removal of another Yabloko candidate from the elections.
The Moscow Regional Court disqualified Alexander Muravyov, a candidate for the State Duma in the Lyubertsy single-mandate constituency, from the election race. The reason for the party candidate's deregistration was a campaign video calling for internet freedom and the elimination of blocking.
Complaints about the video being blocked and accusations of copyright infringement
The court's decision to remove the Yabloko representative was based on a lawsuit filed by another candidate, Yuri Parkhomenko, who is running in the same Lyubertsy district as a member of the Pensioners' Party.
In support of his claim, Parkhomenko cited Muravyov's campaign video with the slogan "For a free internet without blocking," which was broadcast on the 360 TV channel. According to the plaintiff, in this video, the politician disseminated information that contributed to the formation of a negative image of other candidates and associations. Specifically, these were publications that directly linked blocking practices to the decisions and actions of United Russia, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, and New People.
Furthermore, the opponent accused the Yabloko candidate of copyright infringement by using an unlicensed font in campaign materials. Furthermore, the plaintiffs alleged a VKontakte post featuring a "Radio 1" banner without a link to the radio station. Alexander Muravyov himself emphasized that the social media page examined in court is fake.
A wave of disqualifications of opposition candidates
Consequently, Muravyov became the seventh Yabloko candidate from single-mandate constituencies to be removed from the State Duma elections. As a result, pressure on party representatives ahead of the vote continues to mount in many regions.
Just the day before, regional courts disqualified three candidates from the election—from Yabloko and the Communists of Russia. The reasons for these decisions were the ancient publication of a photograph of Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister wearing a German cross around his neck, copyright infringement due to QR codes included in a booklet, and the alleged discovery of "foreign financial instruments."
