Russia Labels 3 More Human Rights Groups 'Undesirable'

Russia has banned the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties as “undesirable” organizations, the Justice Ministry said on Wednesday.

Organizations labeled “undesirable” must cease all operations inside Russia, and it is illegal for individuals and media outlets in Russia to republish or share their content.

The Center for Civil Liberties was founded in 2007 to promote human rights, democracy and solidarity in Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the group has worked to investigate suspected Russian war crimes against Ukraine’s citizens.

It was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize along with jailed Belarusian human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski and the Russian human rights organization Memorial.

The Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom, which says its mission is to “preserve and develop human capital along with the promotion of freedom, education and human rights,” was founded in November 2015 in Germany by Zhanna Nemtsova, the daughter of late Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov.

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom was established in 1958 and aims to “provide offers pertaining to liberal political education in Germany and around the world.” 

The Justice Ministry did not explain why it labeled the three groups “undesirable.”