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Russia Doubled Imports Of Natural Gas From Turkmenistan In 2021, Envoy Says
Russia has doubled the imports of natural gas from Turkmenistan this year, Moscow's ambassador in Ashgabat told reporters on December 24.
Russia this year stands to buy about 10 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas from Turkmenistan, nearly twice the amount purchased in 2020, Ambassador Aleksandr Blokhin said.
Relatively cheap imports of gas from Turkmenistan and other Central Asian countries have enabled Russia to boost its exports to Europe.
This year's volumes were on a par with the period before 2016, when Russia halted gas imports from Turkmenistan amid pricing disputes.
The move put significant pressure on Turkmenistan's economy, which is highly dependent on hydrocarbons as a source of hard currency.
Russia's state-owned energy giant Gazprom resumed the purchases of Turkmen gas in 2019 when it signed a five-year contract envisaging annual deliveries of 5.5 billion cubic meters.
Russia was once the leading importer of Turkmen gas until it was displaced by China in 2010. Turkmenistan annually exports up to 40 bcm of gas to China.
Turkmenistan owns the world's fourth-largest known reserves of natural gas but has limited infrastructure to export its energy resources.
Earlier in 2021, China’s state-owned CNPC started work to set up new wells at Turkmenistan’s giant natural gas fields in exchange for future gas supplies.
Turkmenistan also hopes to export gas to India and Pakistan via Afghanistan in the future. However, the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-India-Pakistan (TAPI) gas pipeline has been stalled for many years.
The 1,800-kilometer pipeline is expected to carry 33 bcm of natural gas each year from Galkynysh, the world's second-biggest gas field, to the Indian city of Fazilka near the Pakistani border.
Turkmenistan has already built its segment of the pipeline, but it remains unclear when the remaining length of the pipeline will be constructed.
Based on reporting by Interfax, AP, and Reuters
Russia Says Molotov Cocktail Thrown At Consulate In Ukraine's Lviv Amid Soaring Tensions
The Russian Foreign Ministry says a Molotov cocktail has been thrown at the Russian Consulate in Ukraine’s Lviv, calling the attack “an act of terrorism.”
The ministry said on December 24 that it summoned Ukraine’s charge d’affairs to protest over the attack and demanded apologies from Kyiv.
Ukrainian police said they had launched a probe into the matter, which they described as "hooliganism.”
The incident comes as tensions have escalated between Kyiv and Moscow after Russia massed about 100,000 combat-ready troops near its border with Ukraine in what the United States has called a possible prelude to an invasion.
New satellite images captured by a private U.S. company revealed that Russia has in recent weeks continued stationing more tanks, mobile rocket artillery systems, and advanced short-range ballistic missile batteries near the border as well as on the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
The images released by U.S.-based Maxar Technologies on December 23, showed a base in Crimea packed with hundreds of armored vehicles and tanks as of December 13. A Maxar satellite image of the same base in October showed the base was half empty.
Asked about the military build-up, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on December 24 that Moscow was acting to defend its own security.
Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS
- By RFE/RL
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Chief Says War Games Were Warning To Israel
The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) says war games conducted this week in the country were intended to send a message to Israel.
The military drill, which reportedly included firing ballistic and cruise missiles, ended on December 24.
"These exercises had a very clear message: a serious, real...warning to threats by the Zionist regime's authorities to beware of their mistakes," Guards chief General Hossein Salami told state television.
Tehran’s announcement was swiftly condemned by Britain, which said Iran's use of ballistic missiles was a "threat to regional and international security.”
"The launch is a clear breach of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which requires that Iran not undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons -- including launches using ballistic missile technology," the British Foreign Ministry said in a statement on December 24.
It urged Iran “to immediately cease its activities.”
Iran's Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri said 16 ballistic missiles of different classes had been fired simultaneously and had destroyed predetermined targets.
Bagheri's claims could not be verified independently, and Western experts say Iran often exaggerates its military capabilities.
"These exercises were designed to respond to threats made in recent days by the Zionist regime," Bagheri told state media.
Israel has long hinted that it could resort to preemptive strikes to deny Iran the means to make a bomb. Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with a nuclear arsenal.
Tehran says all its nuclear activities are peaceful.
Iran has accelerated its nuclear advances as negotiations to return to the accord struggle to make headway. The talks will resume on December 27.
The military drills began on December 20 in the south of the country.
The drills came as U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan met on December 22 with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett amid the Jewish state’s opposition to efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
Bennett has accused Iran of "nuclear blackmail" and charged that revenue it gained from sanctions relief would be used to acquire weapons to harm Israelis.
Sullivan told reporters in Israel that Washington continues to believe that "diplomacy, deterrence, and pressure" remain the best way to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP and IRNA
Russian Court Fines Alphabet's Google $98 Million
A court in Moscow said on December 24 that it was fining Alphabet's Google 7.2 billion rubles ($98 million) for what it said was a repeated failure to delete content Russia deems illegal, the first revenue-based fine in this kind of case in Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused social media platforms and other tech giants of flouting the country's Internet laws, including a push to force foreign firms to open offices in Russia and store Russians' personal data on its territory.
Many critics say the move is an attempt by Russian authorities to exert tighter control over the Internet and quell dissent.
Social media companies have already been fined hundreds of millions of rubles for content violations.
However the fines that Meta, Twitter, Google and other foreign tech giants received stretched into the tens of millions of rubles, not billions.
The Interfax news agency reported that the fine was calculated as a percentage of Google's annual earnings.
Google said it would study the court documents and then decide on its next steps.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and TASS
Iranians Receive Saudi Visas For Diplomatic Posts
In a sign of thaw in ruptured ties, Saudi Arabia has approved visas for three Iranian diplomats allowing them to take up posts at the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the kingdom, Saudi and Iranian officials said.
Shi’ite-led Iran and Sunni-controlled Saudi Arabia have held several rounds of talks since April aimed at improving relations.
The two regional rivals severed diplomatic relations in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions following Riyadh’s execution of a prominent Shi’ite cleric.
“Saudi Arabia has agreed to grant visas to three Iranian diplomats as part of a routine procedure for representatives of a member state of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which is headquartered in Jeddah,” a Saudi Foreign Ministry official said on December 24.
Speaking in Tehran on December 23 alongside his Iraqi counterpart, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the visas were issued last week and that a new round of talks with Saudi Arabia in Baghdad will take place soon.
He added that Baghdad-brokered talks with Riyadh had gone well, and Saudi officials had responded positively to Tehran’s proposals.
"We are ready to send technical delegations to restore relations to normal," he said.
The Saudi kingdom has described the direct discussions launched earlier this year with Tehran as cordial but exploratory.
Based on reporting by AFP, Reuters and Bloomberg
Montenegrin President Tests Positive For COVID-19, Has Mild Symptoms
Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic has tested positive for COVID-19, his office said in a statement on December 23.
"The president has mild symptoms and feels well. In line with epidemiological measures, he will remain in self-isolation from where he will perform his regular presidential duties," the statement said.
Djukanovic canceled meetings earlier in the day after coming in contact with an infected person. One of the meetings canceled was with Mustafa Sentop, the speaker of Turkey’s parliament, who is on an official visit to Montenegro.
Djukanovic, 59, has led the former Yugoslav republic, a NATO member, and a candidate for membership in the European Union, either as president or prime minister for over three decades. He is facing re-election in 2023.
Montenegro, which has a population of only 620,000, has lost 2,385 people to COVID-19 among a total of 161,944 people infected.
- By Current Time
Two Dead In Fire At Russian Hospital Treating COVID-19 Patients
Two people have been killed in a fire in the intensive care unit of a hospital treating COVID-19 patients in Russia's southern city of Astrakhan, the TASS news agency and Ria Novosti reported on December 24, citing a source in the emergency rescue services.
TASS said the fire had been already extinguished.
In a statement, Russia's Emergencies Ministry said there were casualties but gave no additional details.
Several local media outlets reported that a short circuit in a lamp was suspected as the cause of the fire.
No problems were found with the ventilators, the reports said.
With reporting by Reuters and dpa
- By RFE/RL
Talks Aimed At Reviving Iran Nuclear Deal To Resume in Vienna On December 27
Talks with Iran aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal will resume in Vienna on December 27, European Union coordinator Enrique Mora said.
"Vienna talks to resume on Monday 27 December. The JCPOA Joint Commission will meet to discuss and define the way ahead," Mora wrote on Twitter on December 23, referring to the formal name of the pact -- the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
"Important to pick up the pace on key outstanding issues and move forward, working closely with the US. Welcome to the 8th round,” he added.
The United States has participated indirectly in the ongoing talks.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord in 2018 and reimposed tough economic sanctions. Tehran reacted by gradually ramping up its nuclear program and enriching uranium well beyond the thresholds allowed in the agreement.
President Joe Biden has signaled that he will rejoin the deal if Iran returns to full compliance. The JCPOA limited Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.
“Participants will continue the discussions on the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the [deal] and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the agreement by all sides," an EU statement said.
Diplomats from the three European countries involved said after the talks adjourned last week that negotiators in Vienna were “rapidly reaching the end of the road.” They have expressed frustration with Tehran's new demands in recent weeks but pointed to “some technical progress” so far.
Russian delegate to the talks Mikhail Ulyanov said on Twitter that “usually it isn’t popular to engage in serious business” between Christmas and the new year.
But he said that “in this particular case this is an indication that all negotiators don’t want to [waste] time, and aim at speediest restoration” of the nuclear deal.
U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier this week that current diplomatic efforts aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran may be exhausted within “weeks."
U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley warned of a "period of escalating crisis" if diplomacy failed to restore the agreement.
Iranian officials claim the country’s nuclear program is purely for civilian use.
With reporting by AP and dpa
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Welcomes OSCE Announcement On Cease-Fire In Eastern Ukraine
The United States has welcomed an announcement from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that Ukrainian government forces and Russian-led forces in eastern Ukraine have agreed to abide by a 2020 cease-fire.
The U.S. State Department on December 23 applauded efforts by the OSCE to reach the agreement and urged the parties to fully adhere to their commitments.
“We hope the resultant peace will create the diplomatic space necessary to de-escalate regional tensions and provide a positive atmosphere for further discussion,” the State Department said in a statement.
OSCE chairperson-in-office in Ukraine, Mikko Kinnunen, announced the agreement on December 22, calling it “of utmost significance for the people living on both sides of the contact line.”
A statement issued after a meeting of officials from Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE -- known as the Trilateral Contact Group -- and representatives of the regions in Donetsk and Luhansk controlled by pro-Russian separatists said the participants expressed their “strong determination to fully adhere to the measures to strengthen the ceasefire agreement of 22 July 2020."
The State Department said the U.S. continues to call on Russia to fulfill its commitments under the Minsk agreements to pull back forces and weapons from the line of contact in eastern Ukraine.
The Minsk agreements are aimed at reaching a durable cease-fire in eastern Ukraine leading to steps toward a political solution. Brokered in 2015 by France and Germany in the Belarusian capital, the agreements set a series of cease-fires in eastern Ukraine which have generally failed to hold.
The State Department statement again also called on Russia to pull back forces it has amassed along Ukraine’s borders “and end its aggressive and threatening rhetoric.”
Western countries accuse Russia of having massed around 100,000 troops near Ukraine's borders in a possible prelude to an invasion. Russia denies having any such intention. The United States has warned the Kremlin of unprecedented sanctions should it launch an attack.
Kyiv has been battling a pro-Moscow insurgency in two breakaway regions bordering Russia since 2014, shortly after the Kremlin annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. The conflict has killed more than 13,200 people
Ukraine expressed cautious optimism following the announcement from the OSCE.
"There is a sense of a real possibility for the first time in a long while to ensure a cease-fire on the contact line," Andriy Kostin, a Ukrainian envoy in the talks, said in a statement.
Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde, chairwoman of the OSCE called the agreement on the cease-fire a "small but important first step towards de-escalation along the contact line."
With reporting by AFP and Reuters
- By RFE/RL
U.S., Ukraine Deny Putin's Assertion That They Are Aggressor In Border Escalation
The United States and Ukraine deny that Kyiv is preparing a military offensive in its eastern region, an assertion made by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his news conference on December 23.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that “facts make clear that the only aggression at the border of Russia and Ukraine is the military buildup by the Russians and the bellicose rhetoric from the leader of Russia.”
Psaki also noted that NATO is a defensive alliance and there is no evidence “to suggest anything to the contrary from the United States or NATO members.”
Putin claimed that concern in the West over its troop buildup and a possible invasion of Ukraine could be a prelude to a possible attempt by Ukraine to launch an offensive against separatists in the east.
“It seems they are preparing another operation [in Donbas] and are warning us not to get in the way, or there'll be sanctions," Putin said.
Ukrainian officials have denied any intention to launch an offensive against the separatists. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko said Putin’s claim about Kyiv preparing a military operation was untrue.
The Foreign Ministry on December 23 also protested what it said was an illegal “humanitarian convoy” sent by Russia to the Donbas, parts of which have been under Moscow-backed separatists’ control since April 2014. It complained that the convoy passed through a border crossing not controlled by the government in Kyiv.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on December 23 discussed the situation with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who also said NATO is a defensive alliance.
“Ukraine continues to show commendable restraint in the face of Russian provocation and aggression,” she added.
Truss said any Russian incursion “would be a massive strategic mistake and would be met with strength, including coordinated sanctions with our allies to impose a severe cost on Russia’s interests and economy.”
Truss and Blinken “agreed on the importance of reinforcing coordinated support amongst allies and partners to impose consequences and costs for further Russian aggression towards Ukraine,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
Psaki also noted that Putin said he was encouraged by the fact that there are plans for diplomatic talks in January.
“We also believe that that is the best path and the right path forward,” she said, adding that there has been no final agreement on the location or timing for the talks.
Putin said that there had been an agreement to hold a meeting in Geneva in January.
A senior U.S. administration official said on December 23 that the United States was ready to engage in talks with Russia in early January regarding its demand for security guarantees, but the official did not name a location.
However, the official reiterated that some of Russia’s demands are unacceptable. Speaking on a conference call with reporters, the official also said that any dialogue “must be based on reciprocity” and that the West will raise its own concerns about Russian actions.
Russia’s demands essentially call for a "sphere of influence" for Moscow in its near abroad, including veto power over the foreign policy choices of its neighbors. Ukraine and Georgia have said they want to join NATO to protect themselves from possible Russian aggression.
The official said that, if Russia invades Ukraine, the U.S. and its allies are prepared to impose “severe costs that would damage Russia's economy and bring about exactly what it says it does not want -- more NATO capabilities, not less, closer to Russia, not further away.”
With reporting by AP and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
- By RFE/RL
Western Powers Assail Moscow For Aiding Vagner Mercenary Group In Mali
Western powers condemned Moscow for providing “material support” for the Russia-backed Vagner Group that has deployed mercenary fighters in the troubled West African nation of Mali.
Canada, Germany, France, and Britain -- which are involved in the fight against an Islamist insurgency in Mali -- and 11 other countries on December 23 said in a joint statement that they "firmly condemn the deployment of mercenary troops on Malian territory."
Western nations have previously raised concerns and implemented sanctions against the Vagner Group following its involvement in conflicts in Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, and in eastern Ukraine.
They have warned Mali against deploying the group's forces, saying a reported deal between the country and the private military contractor would divert money away from efforts to fight terrorism and could ultimately destabilize the region.
The United States did not sign the statement, but the U.S. State Department on December 15 said Vagner Group forces “will not bring peace to Mali, but rather will destabilize the country further."
The declaration by the 15 Western powers on December 23 was one of the first major statements to acknowledge that the deployment of mercenary fighters had begun.
The statement did not say if the presence of the Vagner Group could eventually lead the countries to pull their own forces out of Mali.
"This deployment can only further deteriorate the security situation in West Africa, lead to an aggravation of the human rights situation in Mali [and] threaten the agreement for peace and reconciliation in Mali," the 15 powers said.
The statement said they "deeply regret" the decision by Mali’s leaders to use "already scarce public funds" to pay mercenaries instead of using the funds to bolster the country's owned armed forces.
"We are aware of the involvement of the Russian Federation government in providing material support to the deployment of the Vagner Group in Mali and call on Russia to revert to a responsible and constructive behavior in the region."
Mali has struggled against the Islamic extremist insurgency for the past decade.
Extremists were forced from power in the country's north with the help of a French-led military operation that began in 2013.
However, the rebels regrouped in the desert and began launching attacks on the Malian army and its allies.
France now has some 5,000 troops in the region, but plans to lower that number to 2,500-3,000 by 2023.
In June, Colonel Assimi Goita seized power and was sworn in as president of a transitional government in Mali after carrying out his second coup in nine months.
Facing increasing isolation from the international community, his government has scheduled elections for February, but there are fears they will be delayed or canceled.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price earlier this month described the United States as “alarmed” by the potential deployment of Vagner Group forces in Mali under a deal that reportedly would cost $10 million a month.
His statement noted that Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a Russian businessman and close associate of President Vladimir Putin who is believed to run the Vagner Group, is sanctioned by the United States, Britain, and the European Union “in connection with his dealings with the Russian Federation's Ministry of Defense and his efforts to subvert U.S. democratic processes.”
Putin has said the Vagner Group does not represent the Russian state and is not paid by it. He has also said private military contractors have the right to work and pursue their interests anywhere in the world as long as they do not break Russian law.
With reporting by AFP and AP
Biden Signs Into Law An Import Ban From China's Xinjiang Region Over Treatment Of Uyghurs
U.S. President Joe Biden signed legislation on December 23 that will ban imports from China's Xinjiang region in the latest measure to punish Beijing over its treatment of China's Muslim Uyghur minority and other groups.
The legislation bars all goods from Xinjiang, labeling products as being made from forced labor. The Chinese government has established a network of detention camps for Uyghurs and other Muslims in the northwestern region.
Xinjiang supplies much of the world's materials for solar panels, but the United States and many rights groups have alleged that Beijing is carrying out genocide there.
China denies abuses in Xinjiang and has engaged in a series of tit-for-tat measures against Washington in reaction to the allegations.
China insists camps in the region are "vocational education centers" designed to help people avoid the influence of terrorism.
Washington has also announced a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics. Several other countries have joined in the boycott, which does not have an impact on sending athletes to the event.
Based on reporting on Reuters
Iran Agrees To Take Tea From Sri Lanka To Settle $251 Million Oil Debt
Iran has agreed to accept Ceylon tea in exchange for some $251 million in oil debt from the South Asian island nation of Sri Lanka, Iranian media report.
Alireza Peyman-Pak, the head of Iran's Trade Promotion Organization, said on December 23 that "in recent negotiations, we reached a written deal to reimburse Iran's debt and interest on it in the form of a monthly shipment of tea produced in Sri Lanka."
According to Iranian media, Peyman-Pak said a deal was reached in which Sri Lanka will export tea to Iran every month "to settle a $251 million debt for Iranian oil supplied to Sri Lanka nine years ago."
Sri Lanka, an island nation of some 22 million people, was formerly known as Ceylon.
Peyman-Pak said the deal will save Iran from having to use scarce hard currency to pay for imports of the widely consumed product.
Iran has been hit hard since the United States pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and began reimposing crippling financial sanctions against Tehran.
Sri Lankan Plantation Industries Minister Ramesh Pathirana emphasized that the arrangement will not violate international sanctions as tea is exempt due to it being categorized as a food item.
Iranian banks that have been blacklisted under U.S. sanctions will not be involved in the transaction, he added.
Sir Lanka has also been experiencing severe financial difficulties, including a severe shortage of foreign currency. National reserves have declined to just $1.6 billion, leaving the government hard-pressed to meet payments for oil and food imports.
Based on reporting by AFP, Reuters, Colombo Gazette, and dpa
- By Todd Prince
U.S. Says Kremlin Aggression Against Ukraine Will Lead To More NATO Forces Near Russia
WASHINGTON -- The United States has sought to deter Russia from invading Ukraine, saying such an action would lead to punishing Western sanctions while forcing NATO to increase military aid to Kyiv and put more forces closer to Moscow.
“If Russia goes ahead with what may be under way, we and our allies are prepared to impose severe costs that would damage Russia's economy and bring about exactly what it says it does not want -- more NATO capabilities, not less, closer to Russia, not further away,” a senior U.S. administration official said in a briefing on December 23.
Russia has massed about 100,000 combat-ready troops near its border with Ukraine in what the United States has called a possible prelude to an invasion, something the Kremlin denies it is contemplating.
The military buildup may be an attempt to pressure Ukraine and the West to agree to Moscow’s recently publicized demands for sweeping security guarantees, analysts have said. Those demands include an end to NATO’s eastward expansion and cooperation with former Soviet states currently not part of the alliance, such as Ukraine and Georgia.
The senior administration official said the United States was ready to engage in talks with Russia in early January regarding its demand for security guarantees -- including bilaterally as well as through NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)..
However, the official reiterated that some of Russia’s demands are unacceptable. The official also said that any dialogue “must be based on reciprocity” and that the West will raise its own concerns about Russian actions.
Russia’s demands essentially call for a "sphere of influence" for Moscow in its near abroad, including veto power over the foreign policy choices of its neighbors. Ukraine and Georgia have said they want to join NATO to protect themselves from possible Russian aggression.
The senior U.S. official laid out principles for the talks that are diametrically opposed to those demands.
“Our view is that negotiations should start from the baseline … which underscore territorial integrity, borders not being changed by force, and respect for the sovereignty and sovereign decision-making of countries,” the official said.
The official said no concrete date or location has been agreed to yet on the U.S.-Russia talks.
Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the meeting would be held in Geneva next month.
During his annual conference with journalists on December 23, Putin demanded that the West provide Russia with security guarantees “without any delay.”
He also repeated past Kremlin assertions that the United States had placed missile systems on Russia’s border.
The senior U.S. official declined to speculate about what missiles Putin was referring to.
The U.S. official also declined to comment on what type of military aid the West would give to Ukraine and what kind of sanctions it would impose on Russia in the event of an invasion, saying it preferred to negotiate behind closed doors.
“We don't plan to negotiate in public. It does not strike us as constructive or a way that progress has been made in such diplomatic conversations in the past,” the official said.
Hearing On Liquidation Of Memorial Human Rights Center Starts In Moscow
MOSCOW -- The Moscow City Court started hearings on a prosecutor's request to shut down one of Russia's oldest rights watchdogs, the Memorial Human Rights Center.
Some 25 journalists were allowed to follow the December 23 hearing from a special room outside the courtroom.
Memorial is being represented at the hearing. by lawyers Mikhail Biryukov, Ilya Novikov, Maria Eismont, Grigory Vaipan, Anastasia Garina, Tatyana Glushkova, Tamilla Imanova, Natalya Morozova, and Natalya Sekretaryova.
Last month, Moscow prosecutors asked the court to shut down the center, while the Prosecutor-General’s Office around the same time asked the Supreme Court to liquidate the umbrella organization, Memorial International, under which the Memorial Human Rights Center and several other activist groups operate.
Prosecutors have explained their moves by saying the two organizations have "repeatedly violated" Russia's controversial law on "foreign agents," which is increasingly being used by officials to shutter civil society and stifle independent media in the country.
A prosecutor at the December 23 hearing reiterated the accusations, saying that Memorial Human Rights Center "should be shut down," adding that "the absence of the foreign agent label on its materials may lead to the formation of a negative image of the country and cause depression among citizens."
The Supreme Court started hearings into the Prosecutor-General's request to shut down Memorial International in November.
Rights activists say there are no legal grounds to liquidate the organization, which has been devoted since the late 1980s to researching and memorializing the crimes of the Soviet Union, as well as to promoting human rights in Russia and former Soviet republics. They say the Prosecutor-General’s demand to shut down Memorial International is "a politically motivated decision."
Memorial has characterized the actions of the Russian authorities as "political pressure" and countered that "there are no legal grounds for liquidation."
Russia’s so-called foreign agent legislation was adopted in 2012 and has been modified repeatedly. It requires nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign assistance, and that the government deems to be engaged in political activity to be registered, to identify themselves as “foreign agents,” and to submit to audits.
Later modifications of the law targeted foreign-funded media, including RFE/RL’s Russian Service, six other RFE/RL Russian-language news services, and Current Time.
On December 15, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning persecution and politically motivated attempts of the Russian authorities to liquidate the two veteran human rights groups.
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