Today, on July 8th in the morning, several regions of Russia saw raids being conducted at the homes of independent journalists, human rights defenders, and representatives of cultural organizations. Speculations suggest that these actions were carried out within the framework of a criminal case related to "treason".
According to reliable sources, in Irkutsk, the home of Svyatoslav Khromenkov, the head of the “Siberia without Torture” foundation, was raided. He had been defending the rights of prisoners subjected to torture in the IK-6 colony. During the search, all equipment, documents, and phones were seized. Khromenkov says he is now being denied access to a lawyer. His wife has described the situation as an “act of intimidation”. Currently, the lawyer is unable to ascertain his whereabouts.
Human rights defenders - Irina Protasova and Olga Vasilyeva in Yoshkar-Ola also had their homes and office raided. Their phones and equipment were confiscated. Protasova was taken to the investigative committee.
Journalists were not spared either. Ekaterina Tkachyova, a journalist who covered court cases of political prisoners and collaborated with SOTAvision, had her home raided and was taken for questioning by the Federal Security Service (FSB).
Additionally, FSB officers conducted a raid at a cultural space called “Revolt-center”. This center had been hosting exhibitions and lectures since 2019. Its employees' homes were also raided.
Officials have yet to comment on whether these incidents are interrelated. However, observers believe that these pressures might be another attempt to silence independent voices.
