Reacting to news that a prosecutor’s office in Moscow is about to initiate criminal proceedings on “extremism” charges against prisoners’ rights advocate Anna Karetnikova, from the Memorial Human Rights Centre, who is currently living in exile, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:
“Amnesty International has long warned of the danger that Russia’s vague and overly broad anti-extremism legislation would be used to criminalize lawful human rights work. Today, those fears are being realized with the criminal case against Anna Karetnikova – the first time such charges have been used against an individual solely because of their human rights work.”
“Although Anna Karetnikova is living in exile and can only be tried in absentia, the threat of prosecution sends a chilling message that is intended to silence human defenders in Russia and abroad, stop them from documenting violations and deter them from speaking up for the victims of these abuses. Criminalizing the human rights work of a leading, Nobel Peace Prize-winning NGO is a harmful and shameful move that further exposes Russian authorities’ true motives.
Criminalizing the human rights work of a leading, Nobel Peace Prize-winning NGO is a harmful and shameful move that further exposes Russian authorities’ true motives
Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director
“The Russian authorities must drop these charges against Anna Karetnikova, close this case and stop abusing absurdly broad and vague ‘extremism’ legislation against their critics, whether they be human rights defenders, political opponents, LGBTI people or dissident religious groups. Russia’s repressive legislation must be brought into line with the country’s international human rights obligations.”
Background
On 26 October 2026, the Lefortovo Interdistrict Prosecutor’s Office in Moscow announced that it had gathered materials to initiate criminal proceedings
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