This archive report was first published on 9 July 2020.
Published on July 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw a controversial vote that allows him to extend his hold on power until 2036.
Investigations have targeted the homes of Kremlin critics, including Yulia Galyamina, a Moscow city councillor, who helped organise mass opposition protests last summer.
Galyamina's flat was searched for over eight hours, and she was also questioned by investigators. She described the search as an attempt to intimidate her and her supporters.
"This is an attempt to intimidate us," she told AFP. After the searches, she reiterated her call on supporters to rally next week.
Investigators also searched the homes of activists of Open Russia, a movement established by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, as well as the group's offices and the editorial offices of MBKh Media, an outlet founded by Khodorkovsky.
Marina Litvinovich, a member of the opposition NYET (NO) campaign, linked the searches to plans to stage a protest against the results of the constitutional reforms.
"We believe this is all linked," she told AFP.
Open Russia said that formally the searches were linked to the Yukos case dating back to 2003, but Kremlin critics have dismissed this as a pretext.
Russian's main opposition leader Alexei Navalny called Thursday's searches a new campaign of "intimidation."
"This is an attempt to demoralise those who are against Putin and publicly punish those who have campaigned against Putin's amendments," he said.
