Russian authorities prohibited Amnesty International on Monday as an “undesirable organization”, a label that under a 2015 law makes participation in such organizations a criminal offense.
The decision of the Russian attorney general’s office, announced in an online statement, is the last of the implacable repression against critics, journalists and activists of the Kremlin who intensified at unprecedented levels after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The designation means that the International Human Rights Group must stop any work in Russia and submit those who cooperate with it or support it to prosecution.
The list of “undesirable organizations” of Russia currently covers 223 entities, including the leading independent media and rights groups.
Amnesty International was launched in 1961. The group documents and reports violations of human rights worldwide and campaigns for the release of those who consider unfairly imprisoned. He has published reports on the Russia War in Ukraine, accusing Moscow of crimes against humanity, and has spoken against the Kremlin offensive against the dissent that has swept thousands of people in recent years.
The Office of the Attorney General in his statement on Monday accused the group of “Russophobic projects” and activities aimed at “political and economic isolation” of Russia.
Amnesty International did not comment on the movement immediately.
