The EU reacted to the decision. The Russian Ministry of Justice reported that many international organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW), and the offices of many German foundations in the country were removed from the register of foreign non-governmental organizations on the grounds that they “violated Russian laws”. . In the statement made by Amnesty International, it was stated that the step in question meant the de facto closure of organizations.
According to the statement of the Russian Ministry of Justice, among the 15 organizations removed from the official records, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, known for its closeness to the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Germany, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, which is known for its closeness to the Free Democratic Party (FDP), the United States (USA) based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Polish Society (Wspolnota Polska), a non-governmental organization under the auspices of the Polish Senate.
AB: No reason justifies this step.
The European Union (EU) reacted to Russia’s ban on international organizations. The spokesperson of the EU High Representative for Foreign Relations and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on Saturday that it deeply regrets the decision of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
In the statement, it was stated that there can be no justification for the step towards these organizations operating for the protection of rights and freedoms, and it was noted that the Russian administration took away the people’s right to freedom of expression and thought with the said ban.
Reaction from human rights organizations
Reacting to Russia’s decision, Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callardard said, “The organizations were punished for defending human rights and telling the truth to the Russian authorities.” Callamard stated that the Russian government could not prevent “documenting and revealing human rights violations” with the closure of Amnesty’s office in Moscow.
Human Rights Watch also announced that it will continue to investigate human rights violations in Russia.
Britta Hasselmann, one of the partners of the coalition government in Germany and the Head of the Federal Parliamentary Group of the Greens, stated that the Heinrich Böll Foundation, known for its closeness to the party, was also affected by this decision and reacted to Russia’s decision. Hasselmann reported that the sanctioned entities “provided a nexus for Russian civil society and the large number of Russians persecuted.” Britta Hasselmann also said, “We condemn the forced closure of these organizations and political foundations by the Kremlin.”
“A step towards authoritarianism and totalitarianism”
Evaluating the decision taken by Moscow, Friedrich Naumann Foundation Chairman of the Board Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Paque said, “Whoever fights for citizen and human rights in Russia is punished, threatened and faces difficulties.” Paque also stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “aggression against libertarian and democratic values exceeds the borders of Ukraine” and evaluated the decision in question as “a step towards authoritarianism and totalitarianism”.
Describing its attacks on Ukraine as a “military operation”, Russia has closed many websites belonging to Russian and foreign media since February 24, when it started these attacks.
In the new legal regulations that came into effect in March, sanctions up to prison terms were foreseen for those who spread “false information” about the “operation”.
AFP,dpa / JD,ET