Russia Bans Human Rights Watch, Moves To Rule Punk Band As Extremist In New Crackdown
Russian authorities on Friday declared Human Rights Watch an “undesirable organization,” a label that makes involvement with such organizations a criminal offense under a 2015 law.
The decision means the international human rights group must stop all its work in Russia and opens the door to prosecution of those who collaborate with or support the organisation.
The decision of the Russian prosecutor’s office was the last move in the recent period. relentless pressure On Kremlin critics, journalists and activists intensifying to unprecedented levels since Moscow’s full-scale assault invasion of Ukraine In February 2022.
In a separate statement on Friday, the office said it had filed a lawsuit against the Russian feminist punk band Cat Revolt this identifies the group as an extremist organization.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday designated the Anti-Corruption Foundation, founded by late opposition activist Alexei Navalny, as a terrorist group.
European Press News via Getty Images
The decision targeted the foundation’s US-registered establishment; this organization became the focus of the group after the Anti-Corruption Foundation was designated an “undesirable organization” by the Russian government in 2021.
“There is no doubt that other organizations such as independent media, human rights projects and local initiatives will soon be defined as ‘terrorist’,” the foundation said in a statement.
“This is a political strategy used by Russian authorities: to declare anyone who interferes with their thefts and endless wars as enemies of the state.”
Russia’s list of “undesirable organizations” currently includes more than 275 organizations, including leading independent news organizations and rights groups. These include leading news organizations such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, think tanks such as Chatham House, anti-corruption group Transparency International and environmental advocacy organization WWF.
Founded in 1978, Human Rights Watch monitors and investigates human rights violations in countries around the world. He openly opposes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and recently published an investigation into how Russian forces deliberately used drones to chase, injure and kill civilians living in Ukraine’s Kherson region.
