On November 28, 2025, Russia officially designated Human Rights Watch as an “undesirable” foreign organization, effectively banning its operations in the country. The announcement, made public by the Ministry of Justice, reflects a continuing pattern of repression by the Kremlin, according to Human Rights Watch. Philippe Bolopion, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, emphasized that while the organization’s work has remained consistent for over three decades, the Russian government has increasingly embraced dictatorial policies, escalated repression, and expanded the scope of war crimes committed in Ukraine.
The Prosecutor General’s Office made the decision on November 10, and it is recorded in the Ministry of Justice’s updated register of “undesirable” organizations, though the official rationale for the designation remains undisclosed. Human Rights Watch previously had to close its Moscow office in 2022 after Russia revoked its registration following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The organization has been monitoring Russia since 1978, dating back to the Soviet era.
Russia’s “undesirable” organizations law, enacted in 2015, allows authorities to ban foreign or international groups alleged to threaten national security, defense, or constitutional order. The law prohibits these organizations and their materials, and individuals engaging with them—whether inside Russia or abroad—face administrative or criminal penalties, including up to six years in prison. The law has been applied broadly and arbitrarily, targeting political activists and human rights defenders.
Notable cases include Andrei Pivovarov, who received a four-year prison sentence in 2021 for promoting the opposition group Open Russia, and Grigory Melkonyants, sentenced to five years in 2025 after authorities falsely linked his election monitoring group to a foreign-designated organization. Both were later recognized as political prisoners by Memorial, a leading Russian rights group.
To date, at least 280 organizations have been designated “undesirable” in Russia, spanning civil society foundations, human rights and environmental groups, and independent media outlets. Many of their staff have had to leave the country and continue their work abroad. International human rights bodies, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the OSCE, and the Venice Commission, have repeatedly criticized the law, urging Russia to amend or repeal it.
Bolopion described the designation as “brazen and cynical” but stressed that it only strengthens Human Rights Watch’s resolve to document Russian human rights abuses and war crimes and hold perpetrators accountable.
