Russia bans Human Rights Watch in widening crackdown on critics

Russian authorities have outlawed Human Rights Watch as an “undesirable organisation”, a label that, under a 2015 law, makes involvement with it a criminal offence. The designation handed down yesterday means the international human rights group must stop all work in Russia and opens those who cooperate with or support the organisation to prosecution. HRW has repeatedly accused Russia of suppressing dissenters and committing war crimes during its ongoing war against Ukraine.