The leftist Rot Front party asked the Supreme Court to fine a lower court 250 million rubles ($9 million) for stalling on the unregistered group's lawsuit, opposition web site Kasparov.ru said Thursday.
The Justice Ministry has thrown out five registration requests by Rot Front since the party's inception last year, citing various technicalities.
Rot Front appealed one of the refusals in Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky District Court in mid-October, but the lawsuit was not reviewed until four months later in February, when the court rejected it.
The law requires that such complaints be handled within a month, the party said in a statement carried by Kasparov.ru.
Rot Front filed a lawsuit over the four-month delay with the Moscow City Court, which threw it out last month, prompting the group to appeal to the Supreme Court. No date for a hearing had been set Thursday.
Opposition activists have attempted in recent months to register several political parties, aiming to participate in the State Duma elections in December, but the Justice Ministry has denied all requests.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
