Russian authorities have begun blocking bank accounts and freezing…
Russian authorities have begun blocking bank accounts and freezing assets of approximately 100 cultural figures linked to the 'SlovoNovo' festival and the 'Dar' literary prize without court rulings, official notifications, or formal charges. The actions are carried out by a government commission based on an undisclosed list, raising concerns about due process and transparency.
Consensus
- Russian authorities have blocked bank accounts and frozen assets of around 100 cultural figures associated with the 'SlovoNovo' festival and the 'Dar' literary prize.
- The blockages occurred without court rulings, formal charges, or prior notification to affected individuals.
- The actions are carried out by a interagency commission on counter-terrorism financing and extremist activities.
- The affected individuals are primarily linked to the 'SlovoNovo' festival and the 'Dar' literary prize.
- The measures were enabled by a law passed in July 2025 allowing asset freezes based on suspicion of involvement in subversive activity, without requiring a court verdict or criminal case.
- The commission's decisions are not publicly accessible, with no official website or presence on Rosfinmonitoring’s resources.
- Legal professionals have been encountering such cases for the past six to seven months.
Points of divergence
- The poet Anna Russ publicly announced her account was blocked, and two anonymous participants of 'SlovoNovo' confirmed they were not foreign agents or listed in Rosfinmonitoring’s terrorist/extremist registry. — meduza
- The 'Dar' prize is an international literary award established in 2024 by writer Mikhail Shishkin and held annually in Switzerland; it was added to the foreign agent register last year. — novaya_eu
- Some invited guests withdrew from participating in the festival after account blockages were reported. — tg_astrapress
Coverage (3 sources)
- Russian authorities began mass blocking of bank accounts for cultural figures who left the country, including participants in the 'SlovoNovo' festival and 'Dar' literary prize — Meduza
- Scores of participants in opposition events abroad had their accounts frozen in Russia without a court ruling or notification — ASTRA
- Russia freezes assets of about 100 participants in opposition events abroad without a court ruling or case filing — Новая газета Европа
Key entities
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