A Moscow court has ruled to shut down Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s foundation, a week after officials first moved to close down the legal entity.
Russia’s Justice Ministry filed a lawsuit last Monday to shutter the Fifth Season of the Year foundation over unspecified violations. In the past week, more than a dozen Navalny offices have been targeted by police raids across the country.
The Meshchansky District Court ruled in favor of Russia’s Justice Ministry, ordering to shut down the Fifth Season of the Year Foundation, the Mediazona news website reported on Monday.
The Justice Ministry argued that the foundation was involved with funding Navalny's presidential campaign, despite listing media support as its goal in the organization’s charter, Mediazona reported.
The organization was also accused of financing the activist's presidential campaign by accepting anonymous bitcoin donations.
Navalny has called for a nationwide protest on Jan. 28 against Russia's upcoming presidential elections, scheduled for March 18. The opposition leader was barred from running as a candidate by election officials last month, over a past fraud conviction that his supporters say is politically motivated.
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