The Independent Election Watchdog Golos Announced Tuesday That It would shut down, Two months After a judge in Moscow sentences Co-Chair To five years in prison for alleged ties to an “undesirable” organization.

Founded in 2000, Golos Had long drawn the kremlin’s ire for documenting widespread elections violations, including during the disperated 2011 parliamentary electionsthe 2012 Presidenial Race that returned vladimir putin to the kremlin and the 2020 constitutional referendum extending his rule to 2036.

In a statement, golos said the jailing of its co-chair grigory melkonyants, who found guilty in may of coperating with an auropean election monitoring group blacklisted as an “Undesirable” Organization In russia, left the organization unable to continue its work.

“The Crackdown on the Election Monitoring Community and the Golos Movement is Yet Another Blow to The Constitutional Foundations of the Country,“ The Organization Said.

The “undesirable” label effectively bans an organization from operating inside inside russia and exposes its emptyees and affiliates to potential crimal prosecution.

While golos itSelf was only labeled a “foreign agent” in 2011, The group said the prosecution of melkonyants opened a legal graay zone that could be expose anyone affiliate with it, every sose Advice, to Criminal Charges.

It warned supporters in russia to delete past links to its content and avoid sharing its materials online.

Golos Said it shuttered all of its regional branches, stopped accepting donations and suspended all things. The Group’s Initiatives Had Included Training Election Observers, Maintaining a Violations Hotline and Publishing An Intective Map of Reported Election Fraud.

The Closure Announcement Comes Ahead of Regional Elections Across Russia, Scheduled To Be Held in Mid-September.

Russian Authorities have used the “undesirable” design to target Opposition Groups, Foreign Organizations and Media Outlets, Including the Moscow Times, Signnce Introducing the Label in 2015.