Overview
- The Prosecutor General’s Office announced the designation on December 16 and added the group to Russia’s list of undesirable organizations.
- Officials described the NGO as founded in the Netherlands in 2001 with participation from George Soros’s foundation and focused initially on human rights cases before the European Court of Human Rights.
- Authorities stated the organization refocused after Russia left the Council of Europe in March 2022 to produce reports related to the Russia–Ukraine conflict.
- The statement alleged the NGO assisted Ukrainian authorities in compiling materials for potential ICC submissions about alleged war crimes by Russian forces and worked with foreign agents and banned entities.
- Current Time reported that the group’s Russia-based project, Legal Initiative, was labeled a foreign agent in 2019, suspended operations in 2023, and was later removed from the registry following liquidation.