AP Interview: Kremlin cracking down on dissent before vote

MOSCOW (AP) - Russian authorities are cracking down on dissent before a crucial parliamentary election in September, in what a leading Kremlin critic on Tuesday described as an attempt to sideline opponents.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a Russian tycoon who moved to London after spending a decade in prison in Russia on charges widely seen as political revenge for challenging President Vladimir Putin's rule, said the latest moves against opposition activists reflected the authorities' concern about the waning popularity of the main Kremlin-directed party, United Russia.

Khodorkovsky told The Associated Press in an interview over Zoom that the upcoming election is a 'œtheatrical performance, in which any candidates that the government isn't happy with will simply not be allowed to run.'ť He said that the authorities are increasing repression to stifle any critical voices before the Sept. 19 parliamentary election, including activists of the Open Russian movement that he financed.

Andrei Pivovarov, the head of Open Russia that dissolved itself last week, was pulled off a Warsaw-bound plane at St. Petersburg's airport just before takeoff late Monday. He was being taken to Krasnodar in southern Russia on Tuesday as part of a criminal probe against him.

Also on Tuesday, police raided the country home of opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov, a former lawmaker who has aspired to run for parliament. At least two of his associates also had their homes searched.

Khodorkovsky said the authorities are taking preemptive action against the opposition, fearing that the September election could trigger protests.

'œThe government is afraid of potential protests that could emerge if they cheat too flagrantly,'ť Khodorkovsky told the AP. 'œThey are trying to sanitize the political environment before the election.'ť

He added that he would continue to support opposition candidates despite the official pressure.

Last week, Pivovarov announced that Open Russia was shutting down to protect its members from prosecution after Russian authorities designated it as 'œundesirable.'ť The government already has outlawed more than 30 groups using a 2015 law that made membership in 'œundesirable'ť organizations a criminal offense. Another bill now making its way through parliament increases the punishment for members of those groups.

In a letter from custody that his lawyers posted Tuesday on Pivovarov's Instagram account, he said 'œthere is no cause for joy, but I don't feel despondent.'ť

He added: 'œThere is a plan to put any people with a different view under arrest, but such people already are the majority."

His lawyers said the charges against Pivovarov for assisting an 'œundesirable'ť organization were filed after he declared its closure.

Amnesty International, meanwhile, strongly condemned Pivovarov's arrest and demanded his release.

'œThis is an audacious move by the Kremlin in its continued use of the law on '~undesirable' organizations to target and shut down critics," said Natalia Zviagina, the director of the group's Moscow office. 'œThe Russian authorities must end reprisals against their political opponents and other critical voices in the country."

In March, police briefly detained about 200 participants of a forum of municipal council members that Open Russia helped organize.

Putin's most determined political foe, Alexei Navalny, was arrested in January upon his return from Germany, where he had spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin - accusations that Russian officials reject. He was handed a 2 1/2-year prison sentence in February for violating terms of a suspended sentence stemming from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he denounced as politically driven.

With Navalny in prison, prosecutors have asked a Moscow court to designate his Foundation for Fighting Corruption and his network of regional offices as extremist groups. In a parallel move, a bill approved by the lower house of the Russian parliament bars members, donors and supporters of extremist groups from seeking public office - a measure that would keep Navalny's associates from running for parliament in September.