Top prisoner rights activist quits Russia after raid

MOSCOW: The founder of a prominent NGO that campaigns for the rights of Russian prisoners and their relatives said Wednesday she had emigrated after a police raid on the organisation's offices this year.
Olga Romanova said in a Facebook post she would be in danger if she returned to Russia from Europe after accusations of embezzlement were levelled against the organisation Rus Sidyashchaya, or Russia behind bars, by the state prison service.
"I am the last person in Russia who would want to emigrate," she said, adding that she had taken a long-term job with a foundation in Germany after leaving the country immediately after the June raid.
Officers from the interior ministry's economic crime department spent several hours searching the group's Moscow offices, the activist said at the time.
The first deputy head of the Federal Penitentiary Service, Anatoly Rudyi, accused the NGO of "embezzling large amounts of state funds," Romanova said.
Romanova is a frequent participant in opposition rallies against President Vladimir Putin and is a columnist for Russia's top opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
She set up the NGO after her businessman husband Alexei Kozlov was sent to prison and she led a high-profile campaign for his release.
The NGO criticises the country's arbitrary justice system and gives practical, financial and legal support to those in prison and their relatives.
Most who work at the NGO have spent time in prison, including for taking part in political protests.
A number of prominent figures including opposition journalists have left Russia over the past months. — AFP