Russia's Ministry of Justice said on April 8 that it had revoked the registration of fifteen international organizations.
Western media reports say the announcement came on the 44th day of Russia's so-call “special military operation” in Ukraine.
The Russian Justice Ministry said in a statement released on Friday that these organizations, including human rights watchdogs Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW), were taken off Russia's registry of international organizations to "violations of the current legislation of the Russian Federation.”
The ministry did not Justice Ministry said in a statement without providing further details.
Russia's move also effectively shut down the local offices of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Aga Khan Foundation (Switzerland), and the Wspolnota Polska Association, among others.
Over the past year, Russian authorities have reportedly been presiding over an unprecedented crackdown on dissent and independent journalism that has included dubbing non-governmental organizations and media outlets as "foreign agents."
