Elections
On 19/4 four candidates from Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation withdrew from the Barvikha municipal elections in protest against fraud in early voting. (The Moscow Times, 19/4)

On 20/4 the Central Electoral Commission ordered election results from Barvikha in Moscow region annulled due to violations during early voting. (The Moscow Times, 20/4)

Freedom of expression
On 18/4 a Moscow court sentenced poet Nikolai Bogoliubov to a 200k rouble fine and one year’s community service on ethnic hatred charges. (RFE/RL, 18/4)

On 19/4 prosecutors in Crimea opened a criminal case into journalist Mykola Semena from the Ukrainian Radio Svoboda service on charges of inciting separatism for a publication on the Krym.Realii website. (The Moscow Times, 19/4)

On 19/4 OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović expressed concern about the intimidation of journalist Mykola Semena in Crimea, Ukraine. (OSCE, 19/4)

On 20/4 prosecutors opened a criminal case against performance artist Petr Pavlensky, accused of setting fire to the headquarters of the FSB in a political protest. (RFE/RL, 20/4)

On 20/4 Reporters without Borders ranked Russia 148th in its World Press Freedom Index. (Reporters without Borders, 20/4)

Right of association
On 18/4 the Justice Ministry suspended the Crimean Tatars' highest ruling body – the Mejlis - due to what it called ‘extremist activities.’ (RFE/RL, 18/4)

On 19/4 Saratov-based NGO Sotsium that assists HIV patients was designated a ‘foreign agent’. (The Moscow Times, 19/4)

Human Rights Ombudsman
On 22/4 the State Duma elected retired police general Tatyana Moskalkova as the new human rights ombudswoman. (The Moscow Times, 22/4)

International law
On 19/4 the Constitutional Court ruled Moscow may ignore part of a European Court of Human Rights judgment in a dispute on prisoner voting rights. (RFE/RL, 19/4)

On 21/4 Amnesty International reported 100s of asylum seekers, refugees, and migrant workers have been forcibly deported or abducted to Uzbekistan, where they have been subjected to torture. (Amnesty International, 21/4)

On 20/4 The Hague District Court quashed a $50 billion award Russia had been ordered to pay the former majority shareholders of the dismantled oil giant Yukos. (RFE/RL, 20/4)