Russia arrests the leader of a prominent election watchdog

MOSCOW (AP) — A Moscow judge has formally arrested and detained one of the leaders of a prominent independent election monitoring group on charges of being involved with an “undesirable” organization. The case against Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of Russia’s leading election watchdog Golos, is the latest in the monthslong crackdown on Kremlin critics and rights activists that the government ratcheted up after sending troops into Ukraine. Melkonyants appeared in a Moscow court Friday where a judge arrested him until Oct. 17, according to Russian media. Melkonyants’ apartment in Moscow was raided Thursday and police raided the homes of a further 14 Golos members in eight cities, Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti reported.