Russian Justice Ministry blacklists Human Rights Watch

On November 28, Russia's Ministry of Justice declared Human Rights Watch (HRW) an "undesirable foreign organization," effectively banning its operations within the country. Established in 1978, HRW operates in 78 nations worldwide.

"Calling rights organizations undesirable is a bold and cynical move," said Philippe Bolopion, executive director of Human Rights Watch. "It strengthens our commitment to record human rights abuses by Russian authorities and war crimes, and to hold those responsible accountable."

HRW has chronicled human rights violations inside Russia and war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.

"For more than thirty years, HRW's work in post-Soviet Russia has pressured the government to respect human rights and freedoms," Bolopion explained. "Our mission remains unchanged, but the Russian government's embrace of authoritarian policies, escalating repression, and the extensive war crimes in Ukraine have dramatically worsened."

In 2015, Russia passed the "undesirable" law targeting independent media, opposition groups, and foreign organizations. Since then, authorities have labeled at least 280 organizations as undesirable, including the Moscow Times. Courts have issued administrative and criminal sentences, sometimes in absentia, against hundreds of people associated with these groups.

Organizations deemed "undesirable" by the Prosecutor Generals Office are considered threats to Russia's security, defense, or constitutional order. HRW was officially banned on November 10. Individuals interacting with such organizations, either domestically or internationally, may face administrative or criminal penalties, including up to six years in prison. The definition of "engagement" is applied broadly and inconsistently, HRW noted.

Russian law also places significant personal risks on organization leaders, who could face up to six years in prison. Notable cases include:

• In 2021, activist Andrei Pivovarov received a four-year sentence for social media posts promoting Open Russia, an opposition movement. He was released and expelled from Russia in 2024 during a prisoner exchange with Western nations.
• In May 2025, Grigory Melkonyants, a prominent rights advocate and election monitor, was sentenced to five years after authorities wrongly linked the Russian group Golos with European election-monitoring organizations previously declared undesirable.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, HRW was among several international NGOs whose offices in Moscow were closed. HRW had maintained operations in Russia since the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1992 and began work in the country in 1978.

The legislation has been criticized by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a rapporteur from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Venice Commission, an advisory body to the Council of Europe.

Author: Sophia Brooks