On 24 July, the Russian Ministry of Justice added to its list of so-called undesirable organisations the Andrei Sakharov Institute, founded in Paris by human rights activist Lev Ponomarev, and the civil network movement “Peace. Progress. Human Rights.” The list of undesirable organisations has been updated on the agency’s website, OVD-Info notes.
The decision to declare the activities of certain organisations undesirable in Russia is made by the Prosecutor General’s Office and is usually announced before they are officially added to the list by the Ministry of Justice. However, this time the Prosecutor’s Office did not inform about the decision on the Sakharov Institute and the movement “Peace. Progress. Human Rights.”
In January 2023, the Prosecutor General’s Office deemed the American non-governmental organisation Andrei Sakharov Foundation undesirable. In Moscow in the same year, the Andrei Sakharov Museum and Public Centre were officially liquidated.
Recognition of the organisation as undesirable means a ban on its activities in Russia and a threat of criminal prosecution for those who cooperate with it.