Golos
Golos, or the Movement for Defence of Voters’ Rights "Golos," is a Russian-based human rights movement to protect electoral rights and tranparency in Russia. Since its establishment in 2000 Golos trains election observers, provides legal assistance to voters, and conducts long-term and short-term election observation. In its work, Golos is guided by international electoral standards and strictly abides by the principle of political neutrality as one of the main conditions for independent and objective election observation. In 2013, Golos was the first unregistered human rights movement to be listed as a "foreign agent."
The environment for the work of human rights defenders (HRDs) in the Russian Federation is difficult, especially for those who defend and promote the rights of LGBTI people, ethnic and religious minorities, refugees, as well as activists of the North Caucasus and the unlawfully annexed Crimean Peninsula. HRDs are often subjected to acts of harassment, surveillance, physical attacks, threat, raids and searches on their offices and homes, slander and smear campaigns, judicial harassment, arbitrary detention, and ill-treatment, as well as violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly. There have also been cases where HRDs have been murdered as a result of their work.
