Week-ending 22 May 2026
“The Russian authorities have not presented credible evidence that Ivan Safronov committed high treason. They conducted an unfair trial behind closed doors and issued a chilling 22-year sentence, apparently motivated by the desire to punish him for his journalistic work. Ivan Safronov’s case is emblematic of the Russian authorities’ assault on independent journalism and freedom of expression. Reprisals against his lawyers and continuing pressure against Ivan to make him reveal his sources show a system determined to silence journalists and punish those defending their rights. Ivan Safronov is a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely for his work as a journalist and for exercising his right to freedom of expression. The Russian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release him, quash his conviction, and ensure that journalists and lawyers can do their work without fear of reprisals.”
– Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, commenting on Amnesty International’s designation of Ivan Safronov – a former journalist from Russia sentenced to 22 years’ imprisonment on “high treason” charges – as a prisoner of conscience
Source: ‘Russia: Journalist Ivan Safronov jailed for 22 years on trumped-up treason charges is a prisoner of conscience,’ Amnesty International, 15 May 2026
Background from Amnesty International: Ivan Safronov worked for Kommersant and Vedomosti newspapers, reporting on Russia’s military and technical cooperation with foreign states, Russia’s defence and space industries, corruption and politics. Shortly before his arrest, he joined the Russian Space Agency (Roskosmos) as an adviser to the Director General. He was detained by Federal Security Service (FSB) officers in Moscow on 7 July 2020 and charged with “high treason” under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code. The authorities alleged that he had passed classified information concerning Russia’s defence and security to a representative of a NATO country’s intelligence service. The authorities failed to provide credible evidence to substantiate the accusations, and the case against Safronov was marred by secrecy, questionable evidence and serious fair-trial violations. These findings have been reported by independent media outlets. On 5 September 2022, Moscow City Court sentenced Ivan Safronov to 22 years’ imprisonment. He is serving his sentence in a high security penal colony in Krasnoyarsk, over 4,000 km from his home in Moscow. Ivan Safronov’s defence lawyers, including Ivan Pavlov, Evgueny Smirnov and Dmitry Talantov, were also subjected to prosecution and other reprisals.
“By including the Committee to Protect Journalists on its list of ‘undesirable organizations’, the Kremlin is once again showing its determination to repress journalism and stop Russian citizens from having access to independent information. Journalism is not a crime, and neither is defending it. CPJ will continue to document Russia’s flagrant violations of press freedom, at home and abroad, to seek accountability for those responsible, and to support independent journalists pushing back against the relentless tide of Kremlin propaganda.”
– CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg
Source: ‘Russia adds CPJ to its list of ‘undesirable organizations,’ Committee to Protect Journalists, 19 May 2026
Background from CPJ: The Committee to Protect Journalists has been included on a Russian government list of “undesirable organizations” — a label used to suppress media outlets, NGOs, and other independent voices that the Kremlin deems a threat to its narrative control. CPJ, which was not notified of the decision or the reasons behind it, calls on Russia to reverse the ban. CPJ was added to the Russian Ministry of Justice’s list on May 12, according to the ministry’s website, having been designated “undesirable” by the Russian prosecutor general’s office on April 28. Hundreds of other organizations globally are already on the list, including other press freedom groups and media outlets. […] Under a 2015 law, organizations classified as “undesirable” are banned from operating in Russia. The law is particularly threatening to anyone inside Russia seen as cooperating with these organizations or their activities, who can face up to six years in prison and administrative fines. The designation also makes it a crime to distribute the organization’s content or donate to it from inside or outside Russia. CPJ, which does not have any presence in Russia, contacted the Russian Ministry of Justice for comment but did not immediately receive a reply.
‘The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, has been informed about the designation of the OMCT, the world’s largest network of organisations working against torture, as an “undesirable organisation” by the Russian authorities. The designation constitutes yet another step in the Russian authorities’ systematic efforts to isolate the Russian population and local civil society from the international human rights movement and to perpetuate the climate of fear that silences organisations documenting torture, repression, and other serious human rights violations.’
– FIDH
Source: ‘Russian Federation: Russian authorities designate the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) as an “undesirable” organisation,’ FIDH, 21 May 2026
Background from FIDH: Under the repressive law on “undesirable organisations”, adopted in 2012 and subsequently expanded, the Russian Federation’s Prosecutor General’s Office has the power to declare as “undesirable” any foreign or international organisation deemed to pose “a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order of the Russian Federation, the defence capability of the country or the security of the state”. Following such designation, organisations are effectively “Undesirable organisations” prohibited from carrying out any activities in the country, including disseminating information, publishing materials, organising events, conducting financial transactions, and providing financial or other assistance to local organisations and individuals. Any person or organisation cooperating with an organisation declared “undesirable” by Russia – including from outside Russia –may face administrative sanctions and criminal liability under the Russian law. Under Articles 20.33 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences and 284.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, individuals and legal entities may face fines, and individuals risk prison sentences of up to six years for participating in, financing, or allegedly facilitating the activities of such organisations. The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe has expressed serious concerns regarding the legislation on “undesirable organisations”, citing the lack of legal certainty, the discretionary powers granted to prosecutorial authorities, and the absence of prior judicial review. In practice, the vague and overly broad wording of the law has resulted in the prosecution of individuals merely for reposting materials published by organisations later designated as “undesirable”, including content shared prior to the designation. OMCT has for decades worked on the situation in Russia and on the countries affected by Russia’s aggression to document torture, support victims of grave human rights violations, protect human rights defenders at risk and promote accountability under international law. OMCT’s Global Torture Index ranks the Russian Federation at a very high risk for torture, identifying the nation as among the most severe for systemic police brutality, prison abuses, and total impunity. Similarly, OMCT’s project SOS Defenders has documented cases of human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily detained in Russia and pushing for their immediate and unconditional releases. The Observatory underlines all of these activities constitute legitimate human rights work.
