The Prosecutor General’s Office declared the German NGO Solidarus undesirable

The General Prosecutor’s Office of Russia added the German NGO Solidarus to the list of undesirable organizations. The organization helps people who are subjected to political persecution in Russia and educates about human rights in civil society.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the activities of Solidarus “are aimed at inspiring protest moods in Russian society, the demand for the formation of false information about the alleged illegality of certain actions of the Russian authorities in the part related to the restriction of the rights and freedoms of citizens in the Russian Federation.”

The NGO Solidarus was founded in Berlin in 2013 and deals with helping Russian political refugees in Europe. The organization investigated the Kremlin’s possible interference in the democratic process in Germany and the European Union. After the start of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, Solidarus also helped Ukrainian refugees. Activists of the organization helped about 150 anti-war Russians get humanitarian visas in Germany.

The director of Solidarus, Aleksey Kozlov, told Radio Svoboda that the inclusion in the list of undesirables will not affect the further work of the organization. According to him, Solidarus does not operate in Russia, it has no partners in the country. The last project that Solidarus implemented for the Russian audience was about education about the foundations of civil society and was held online in 2021. “We expected such a reaction and will continue to work,” Kozlov said.

• In May 2015, Vladimir Putin signed the Law on Undesirable Organizations, which prohibits them from operating on the territory of Russia. Any non-governmental organization that, in the opinion of the Prosecutor General or his deputy, represents a “threat to the security of the state and the foundations of the constitutional order” may be considered undesirable. The authorities have already included dozens of foreign NGOs and NGOs among such organizations.
• Recognizing an organization in Russia as undesirable, among other things, means that persons cooperating with it may be brought to criminal responsibility. Several Russian citizens were sentenced to actual terms of imprisonment under the article about cooperation with them.