Human Rights Watch Statement about the civil suits of prosecutor against ADC “Memorial” and “Women of the Don”.
Two independent organizations could become the first victims of new legal tactics by Russian prosecutors to limit human rights work. Having failed in administrative court proceedings to force six prominent groups to register as “foreign agents” under a 2012 law, the prosecutors then filed civil suits against ADC “Memorial” and “Women of the Don”.
“The prosecutor’s office is using new legal tactics but the same discredited arguments as it tries to silence the Russian government’s critics,” said Rachel Denber, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “They have largely lost in their efforts to force groups to register as ‘foreign agents’ through the courts, and now here they go again.”
The prosecutor’s office should immediately withdraw the lawsuits, Human Rights Watch said.