Amnesty, HRW may be listed as 'undesirable' in Russia
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 25 May 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Amnesty, HRW may be listed as 'undesirable' in Russia, 25 May 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/558bc4c312.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
May 25, 2015
Vitaly Zolochevsky, a parliamentarian from the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), has reportedly asked the Prosecutor General's Office to check if watchdogs Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch pose a threat to Russia's security.
The request comes shortly after President Vladimir Putin on May 23, signed a new law giving prosecutors the power to declare foreign and international organizations "undesirable" in Russia and shut them down.
Other groups on Zolochevsky's list reportedly include the Carnegie Moscow Center think tank, and the Memorial human rights center.
The law has been widely condemned in the West and by activists in Russia.
The U.S. State Department called it "a further example of the Russian government's growing crackdown on independent voices and intentional steps to isolate the Russian people from the world."
Analysts say the law is part of a Kremlin campaign to stifle dissent that intensified after Putin began his third term in 2012.
Based on reporting by Meduza.io
Link to original story on RFE/RL website