Russian authorities are shutting down the UN human rights office in Moscow following concerns expressed by the UN rights chief over restrictions imposed on NGOs in the country.
On Saturday, Moscow’s diplomatic mission in Geneva confirmed Russian media reports about an impending closure of the Officer of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), AP reported.
Russian Ambassador Alexey Borodavkin said the UN office had already helped establish human rights institutions in Russia and “we do not see anything extraordinary” in its closure.
This is while UN rights chief, Jordanian Prince Zeid Raad al-Hussein, expressed concern on Thursday over “signals” that the Kremlin might shut down the office, censuring what he alleged as “shrinking space” for foreign-sponsored non-governmental organizations.
“I am concerned about signals received from the government regarding its intention to close our presence in Moscow,” Zeid said during an address before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
He further proclaimed that more cooperation with his office was needed “on the subject of the shrinking space for human rights defenders and non-governmental organizations.”
The move came following a Friday ruling by the Prosecutor General’s Office in Moscow that labeled US-based NGO National Democratic Institute, headed by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, as undesirable, noting that it poses a threat to Russian security and constitutional order.
In July 2015, Russia’s upper house released a list of foreign organizations it plans to declare undesirable. The list of 12 institutions included groups such as the National Democratic Institute, the US National Endowment for Democracy and the Open Society Institute — also known as the Soros Foundation.
Acting on the prosecutors’ request in late July, Russian Justice Ministry officially listed the US National Endowment for Democracy as an undesirable group following discoveries by law enforcement authorities that the American NGO had spent millions on efforts to undermine the legitimacy of Russian elections and tarnish the reputation of national military service, RT reported.
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