Russia has declared the international human rights group Amnesty International an "undesirable organization."
The decision by Russian authorities on Monday means that Amnesty International is illegal in Russia and that cooperation with it is punishable under Russian law.
Russia's prosecutor general said in a statement on Monday that the action was taken because Amnesty International is "the center for the preparation of Russophobic projects in the world."
Amnesty International has not yet commented on the news.
This organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for "the defense of human dignity against torture" and the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in 1978.
The Russian prosecutor general also accused Amnesty of "doing everything" to help escalate the military conflict, including justifying "crimes of Ukrainian neo-Nazis."
The Kremlin has repeatedly and falsely claimed that Ukraine is run by "radical nationalist and neo-Nazi" groups, and has used this as one of the reasons for launching a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.
Russia claims that the organizations on its list pose a threat to the country's national security.
However, experts say this is simply an attempt by Russian authorities to silence any voices that do not align with the Kremlin's views.
Dozens of media outlets, organizations engaged in political, cultural and educational activities, supporting democratic institutions, as well as religious organizations, have been included in this list in recent years.
In January 2024, Radio Free Europe was also included in this list.
Russian citizens face up to five years in prison if they cooperate with "undesirable" organizations or help finance them within the territory of Russia./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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