GOLOS founder detained at Belarusian border

Liliya Shibanova, founder of the Russian Association of non-profit organizations “In Defense of Voters’ Rights GOLOS”, was detained last night by Belarusian border guards while crossing the Lithuanian border on a train to Moscow.

The incident happened at the Hudahaj station. Mrs. Shibanova was travelling to Moscow via Belarus to take part in a meeting of the Russian Human Rights Council scheduled for May 16. She was forced to leave the train and offered to undergo a body search.

In 2013, the GOLOS Association, which deals with election monitoring, became the first Russian non-profit organization to be labelled a ‘foreign agent’. The NGO’s founder Liliya Shibanova soon left the country and is now living abroad.