The Russian branch of the environmental organization Greenpeace said on Friday it was closing its doors after authorities declared it an “undesirable organization”, thus shutting it down.
Russia’s attorney general’s office said in a statement that Greenpeace tried to “interfere in the internal affairs of the state” and engaged in “anti-Russian propaganda” calling for the imposition of sanctions against Moscow.
The concept of “undesirable organization” was introduced by the Russian authorities in 2015. Since then, dozens of foreign organizations have been declared “undesirable”, which in effect means a complete ban on their activities in the Russian Federation.
“This decision makes it illegal for Greenpeace to continue any activity in Russia. Therefore, the Russian branch of Greenpeace will be forced to close,” the organization said in a statement posted on Telegram.
Later, Greenpeace Russia chief Sergei Tsyplenkov said he would consult with lawyers before deciding whether to appeal the decision.
“I don’t know of any successful appeals against such decisions,” he told Reuters. “We knew this could happen. But to say that we were perfectly prepared for this would not be completely honest. »
In 2013, Russia brought criminal charges against Greenpeace activists when they attempted to board an offshore drilling rig in the Arctic Ocean owned by energy giant Gazprom to protest the oil production in the Arctic.
Then, Russian special services boarded the group’s Dutch-registered vessel and arrested 30 crew members suspected of piracy.
Growing out of the informal anti-nuclear movement of the late 1960s, Greenpeace has become one of the largest and most recognizable environmental organizations in the world, with operations in over 50 countries.
“I hope conservation activities are still allowed in our country,” Cyplenkov said. “I hope the government will not persecute our employees, including me.”
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