Starting from July 2019 numerous approved and unapproved rallies in Moscow (also known as part of the political crisis) began, caused by the situation with the 2019 Moscow City Duma elections. Widespread public protests were triggered by numerous authorities' violations, claimed by the independent opposition candidates, during the registration procedure. Rallies on Sakharov Avenue on 20 July and 10 August 2019 became the largest political rallies in Russia since the 2011–2013 protests. The July 27 rally established a record on number of detainees: 1373 people were detained. The subsequent appeals of the MCEC's decisions to the CEC by the independent candidates didn't lead to any results.
The protests were accompanied by massive administrative arrests of unregistered independent candidates and two criminal cases: the obstructing the work of election commissions case and the riots case (also known as the "Moscow case"). The Second Service of FSB participated in the investigation of the events. It was reported that the intelligence agency is trying to find opposition ties with foreign structures and is trying to prove financing of protests from abroad.
A number of media and politicians as well as the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights found no evidence of mass riots at rallies.
Background
After the verification of the signatures collected by the candidates, the Moscow City Election Commission (MCEC) refused to register most of independent opposition candidates. The claimed reason was the high percentage of rejected signatures (exceeding permissible reject rate of 10%). Independent candidates accused the MCEC of forgery in verifying signatures aimed at prohibiting the opposition to participate in elections. During the verification some personal data of the signers was entered with errors. In addition, a significant part of the signatures was invalidated on the grounds of a so-called handwriting examination, which scientific validity and impartiality the candidates questioned. The candidates submitted to the MCEC statements confirming the validity of signatures from signatories, whose signatures were rejected on the grounds of handwriting examination. The candidates also submitted to the MCEC an opinion of professional handwriting experts on the insolvency of the MCEC examination. Despite this, the MCEC did not change the decision. In protest, one of the candidates, Lyubov Sobol, went on a hunger strike on July 13.
On the other hand, the MCEC registered 32 candidates from Communists of Russia party, which has very low popularity (during 2016 election to the State Duma it collected 2%). This party is regarded by experts as a spoiler for CPRF. These candidates are almost unknown in Moscow, mostly students, housewives and low-skilled workers. According to the MCEC, these 32 unknown candidates managed to collect the necessary signatures. However, Muscovites did not see any signature collectors for the candidates from Communists of Russia or pro-United Russia 'independent' candidates in the streets of their city. Later, an opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta revealed that the same headquarters coordinates the actions of candidates from Communists of Russia and pro-United Russia 'independents'.
Protests
On July 14, 17 independent candidates met with supporters in Novopushkinsky Square. After that they went to the City Hall and finally to Mokhovaya Street to the MCEC building. Candidates demanded to accept signatures in their support and to allow them to participate in the election. The Police and the National Guard initially acted politely, but later they began to break up tents in the yard of the MCEC and to detain the protestors. According to the OVD-Info portal, by the evening 39 people were detained, including candidates Ilya Yashin, Lyubov Sobol, Ivan Zhdanov and Yulia Galyamina. Four protesters were hospitalized after a hard detention, several activists were beaten by the police. Detained candidates called for supporters to meet again at the MCEC building the next day.
On July 15, 10 candidates arrived to a meeting with the head of the MCEC Gorbunov. The meeting planned to be open, however journalists were not allowed to enter the MCEC building and Gorbunov set several conditions: he would talk with the candidates one by one in a closed format only. Only 3 candidates accepted these conditions. Later nine candidates were denied registration. Then, Ilya Yashin announced that the MCEC removed him from the elections due to the allegedly exceeding the allowable number of false signatures and refused to accept written confirmations of the so-called "wrong" signatories. In the evening of the same day, several hundred people gathered at Trubnaya Square for an action for admission of independent candidates to the elections. The candidates called for holding such meetings every day until their requirements were met.
On July 16, most of the independent candidates received registration denials, in particular, Lyubov Sobol, Ivan Zhdanov, Konstantin Yankauskas, Yulia Galyamina, Dmitry Gudkov, Gennady Gudkov, Alexander Solovyov, Sergey Mitrokhin, Elena Rusakova, Kirill Goncharov, Anastasia Bryukhanova. In all cases the reason was the exceeding of the maximum allowable percentage of invalid voter signatures. Only a few independent candidates received registration. The action on Trubnaya that day took place despite the heavy rain. There were no detentions.
On July 17, meeting on Trubnaya Square took place again, about 800 people participated. Gorbunov announced results of candidates registration campaign: 233 candidates were registered, 57 got a refusal.
Independent opposition candidates collected more than a thousand official statements from Muscovites, including statements with video, demanding that their signatures be considered valid. They continued to conduct daily "For the Right to Choose" actions on Trubnaya Square till Saturday. The MCEC pointed out they are ready to consider the application and re-check the signatures. The PCCSHR recommended to allow independent candidates to participate in the election.
Rally on Sakharov Avenue
On July 20, a permitted rally was held on Sakharov Avenue with the same requirements. It has become the largest political action in Russia since 2012. According to the "White Counter" organization, over 22 thousand people participated. The main requirement was to admit the independent candidates to the elections. According to the OVD-info, 7 people were detained at the meeting and after it. Alexey Navalny on behalf of all independent candidates put an ultimatum to the Moscow authorities: if all independent candidates are not registered for a week, then an unauthorized rally will take place in front of the Moscow City Hall on Saturday, July 27. Later, Ilya Yashin on behalf of all independent candidates published a joint open letter to Mayor Sobyanin, it contained Navalny's ultimatum, an offer to meet and discuss the situation and a proposal to the PCCSHR to hold an unscheduled meeting and discuss what's happening in Moscow.
Between 20 and 27 July - criminal case, arrests, searches On July 23, the CEC head, Ella Pamfilova, held a meeting with independent candidates to discuss the situation and stated that it would be impossible to register all those candidates who collected signatures at the elections. She pointed out that their signatures should be rechecked. Independent candidates sent complaints to the CEC about the refusals of district commissions, but Pamfilova replied that they do not obey the CEC. The candidates remained dissatisfied with the meeting, because the CEC head didn't show any desire to intervene to the situation. On the contrary, Pamfilova blamed Navalny in making obstacles to register the independent candidates.
On the morning of July 24, Alexey Navalny was detained at the entrance of his house. The same evening, he was sentenced to 30 days in administrative arrest for calling for a rally on July 27. The sentence was seemed to be connected with his July 22 publication of a photo of Italian permanent residency document belonging to pro-government journalist Vladimir Solovyov. Solovyov, in turn, accused Navalny in 'judicial incompetence'
The Office of the Investigative Committee in Moscow opened a criminal case under article 141 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Hindering the exercise of electoral rights or the work of election commissions") because of a spontaneous rally near the MCEC. On the evening of July 24, police searched the unregistered candidates Dmitry Gudkov and Ivan Zhdanov. The police also came with searches to Alexander Solovyov and Nikolai Balandin. Ivan Zhdanov after the search was taken for interrogation. Dmitry and Gennady Gudkov, Lyubov Sobol, Elena Rusakova and Yulia Galyamina were also summoned for interrogation.
On July 25, the MCEC, on the recommendation of the working group on the analysis of candidates' complaints, approved the decisions of the district election commissions to refuse to register candidates Dmitry Gudkov, Ivan Zhdanov, Konstantin Yankauskas, Yulia Serebryanskaya and Konstantin Lisitsa. Lyubov Sobol, after a meeting of the working group on the analysis of candidates' complaints, which decided to reject her complaint about the refusal of registration, announced that she would continue the hunger strike right in the building of the MCEC, waiting for Ella Pamfilova. At midnight, the guards of the MCEC pulled out a sofa on which Lyubov Sobol was sitting, in order to "shake out bedbugs and parasites". This was stated by a member of the election commission Dmitry Reut.
On July 26, the MCEC approved the refusals to register Lyubov Sobol, Andrei Babushkin, Elena Rusakova and Ekaterina Ignatova. The Moscow prosecutor's office put 15 candidates for deputies of the Moscow City Duma under an administrative investigation, most of whom were not registered in the elections, due to calls for an unauthorized mass rally planned for July 27. On the evening of July 26, searches were conducted at the headquarters of Lyubov Sobol, Ivan Zhdanov, Ilya Yashin, Dmitry Gudkov and Yulia Galyamina. Night searches were also held in the apartments of Konstantin Yankauskas's parents and 80-years-old grandmother, at the address of registered candidate Klochkov and registered candidate Darya Besedina. After the search, which ended at 1 a.m., Yashin was detained.
On the morning of July 27, searches were conducted at the apartments of Yulia Galyamina and Navalny's press secretary Kira Yarmysh.
July 27 rally in Moscow
The Constitution of the Russian Federation allows peaceful assemblies of citizens without any approval (Article 31), but the Law on rallies adopted in 2004 requires their approval by the authorities. De jure, this order should be informative, but de facto it is prohibitive. Therefore, many lawyers consider the actions of the authorities to prohibit and disperse the July 27 rally and other similar rallies as a flagrant violation of the Russian constitution (for example, see Strategy-31). July 27 rally was not approved by the authorities, and police had warned of responsibility for organizing and participating in unapproved public events.