Activist launches website calling for a criminal investigation into Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky

In an effort to sustain the campaign against State Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky, whom multiple women journalists have accused of making unwanted sexual advances, human rights activist Alena Popova has launched a website called “No to Harassment!”

The website features an appeal to Russia’s Attorney General, demanding an investigation into the allegations against Slutsky, as well as an appeal addressed to Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, stressing the country’s need for legislation against sexual harassment. Visitors to the site are encouraged to copy these texts and email them through the official web portals for the Attorney General’s Office and the State Duma.

Popova’s website also urges people to sign a Change.org petition published by Kristina Potupchik, a former Kremin youth spokesperson, calling for a criminal investigation against Slutsky. At the time of this writing, the petition has more than 35,750 signatures.

Alena Popova is a co-founder of the women’s movement “Project W” and a co-author of draft legislation against domestic violence. On April 2 and 3, Popova was detained three times outside the State Duma building for picketing with a cardboard cutout of Leonid Slutsky. After her third detention, police formally charged her with violating Russia’s laws on public assemblies.