On Monday 22 December, the Council of the European Union imposed sanctions on two Russian judicial officials - Dmitry Gordeev and Lyudmila Balandina - for human rights violations and acts of repression against the democratic opposition and civil society.
A Moscow court judge, Mr Gordeev has handed down several “politically motivated” judgements against opposition figures and human rights activists, the Council said in a press release. In flagship cases that have led to the conviction...