GENEVA – The human rights situation in Russia has sharply deteriorated, with intensifying attacks on human rights defenders and anti-war voices signaling a state increasingly insecure and fearful of accountability, according to Mariana Katzarova, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation. She highlighted a rapid dismantling of independent civil society, describing recent measures as resulting in a “seismic decline” in civic freedoms.
Recent actions include designating long-standing civil society organisations as “undesirable,” alongside an expanding list of banned entities such as Human Rights Watch and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). Russian law criminalises engagement with these organisations, exposing individuals to imprisonment of up to six years. To date, over 280 organisations have been labelled “undesirable,” while more than 1,100 entities and individuals are designated as “foreign agents.” Katzarova stressed that these measures are part of a deliberate strategy to isolate the population from independent information, legal support, and peaceful activism.
The crackdown occurs amid a broader erosion of civic space, targeting independent voices and human rights defenders. Prominent lawyers such as Olga Sadovskaya of Crew Against Torture and Elena Shakhova of Citizens Watch have been subjected to public smear campaigns, with Shakhova charged with “discrediting the Russian army” for monitoring anti-war trials. In parallel, Memorial’s leader Sergey Davidis was convicted under counter-terrorism charges, and Alexey Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation was designated a “terrorist organisation,” reflecting a disturbing trend of misusing anti-terrorism legislation to criminalise peaceful expression and dissent.
Katzarova warned that such measures have a profoundly negative effect on civic space, branding human rights defenders as “extremists” or “terrorists” and stifling independent activism. She called on the Russian government to implement recommendations from her September and October 2025 reports, emphasizing that repression cannot erase the work of human rights defenders. Instead, it exposes the government’s deep insecurity and fear of scrutiny and accountability.
