Russia’s Justice Ministry denied registration to the Russian Pirate Party, as the term "piracy" in Russia is linked to a criminal offence.

      Piracy is defined in Russia’s Criminal Code as maritime or riverside robbery, that is why a party with that name cannot be registered, the ministry said in its refusal note.

      The title “Pirate Party” thus fails to match the party’s goals of promoting e-democracy, the freedom of information and the protection of personal privacy, the ministry's statement also said.

      There were also 12 procedural violations found in the party’s charter, though chief pirate Pavel Rassudov said the complaints were “unfounded" and the whole decision was "politically motivated".

      The Russian Pirate Party was found in 2009 but still exists without registration that would allow it to go to the polls. The party's leader has also promised to appeal the decision in Russian courts and in the European Court of Human Rights.

      Russia’s rules for party registration were radically liberalized following the start of the anti-Kremlin protests in 2011, which allowed to register 54 new political parties in 2012. However, some opposition parties still have many problems with registration, as the Justice Ministry always has million reasons for refusing to register parties.