The Russian authorities on Monday outlawed Amnesty International as an “undesirable organization,” a label that under a 2015 law makes involvement with such organizations a criminal offense.
The decision by the Russian Prosecutor General’s office, announced in an online statement, is the latest in the unrelenting crackdown on Kremlin critics, journalists and activists that intensified to unprecedented levels after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The designation means the international human rights group must stop any work in Russia and it subjects those who cooperate with it or support it to prosecution, including if anyone shares Amnesty International’s reports on social media.
Russia’s list of “undesirable organizations” currently covers 223 entities, including prominent independent news outlets and rights groups.
Amnesty International was launched in 1961. The group documents and reports human rights violations around the globe and campaigns for the release of those it deems unjustly imprisoned. It has released reports on Russia’s war in Ukraine, accusing Moscow of crimes against humanity, and has spoken out against the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent that has swept up thousands of people in recent years.
In its statement, the Prosecutor General’s office accused the group of running “Russophobic projects” and activities aimed at Russia’s “political and economic isolation.”
Amnesty International did not immediately comment on the move.
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