Igor Khoroshilov Arrested over Call to ‘Vote Smartly’ against Putin

On the 10th of September 2021, Igor Khoroshilov, a Russian journalist, was arrested for sending a Facebook Message to “vote strategically and smartly” in the upcoming Russian election (17-19 September 2021) against Vladimir Putin. The concept of ‘smart voting’ was originally developed by the imprisoned opposition leader Aleksei Navalny. By explicitly referring to this concept, Khoroshilov has been charged with crime of ‘disseminating symbols of an extremist organisation’ and may face prosecution. He is currently held in administrative detention. According to Amnesty International and other critics, the arrest of Khoroshilov constitutes a violation of the right to freedom of expression and is part of a wider effort of the Russian government to defeat the opposition before the elections take place. For more detailed information, please visit: https://www.amnesty.nl/actueel/rusland-journalist-gearresteerd-vanwege-oproep-tot-slim-stemmen-tegen-partij-poetin

https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-elections-journalist-arrested/31455117.html

Figure 1) RFE/RL Russian Service, ‘Russian Journalist Arrested for Posting About Navalny’s ‘Smart Voting’ (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 11 September 2021) <https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-elections-journalist-arrested/31455117.html> Accessed 14 September 2021.