The Russian General Prosecutor’s Office has officially declared the Clooney Foundation for Justice, founded by actor George Clooney and his wife Amal, an ‘undesirable organization’ in Russia. This designation effectively bans the foundation from operating within the country and could lead to criminal charges for those who cooperate with it.According to the Russian authorities, the foundation ‘conducts work with a Hollywood flair aimed at discrediting Russia’. The General Prosecutor’s Office accused the organization of ‘actively supporting those who have left the country, members of banned extremist organizations, and terrorist organizations’. They further alleged that the foundation ‘promotes initiatives for the criminal prosecution of Russia’s top leadership and publicly disseminates negative pseudo-expert assessments of Russian legislation on foreign agents and NGOs’.This decision comes in the wake of controversy surrounding statements made by Anna Neistat, a foundation employee, who had expressed intentions to seek arrest warrants for Russian journalists working in Europe. George Clooney later denied these claims, stating that the foundation ‘would never pursue journalists, even if we disagree with them’.The Clooney Foundation for Justice, established in 2016, describes its mission as fighting for justice and demanding accountability for human rights violations. It operates in over 40 countries worldwide, including investigating alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine.This move by the Russian authorities is seen as part of a broader crackdown on dissent and foreign influence since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022. The ‘undesirable’ label has been applied to numerous foreign groups since 2015, effectively banning their operations in Russia.
Key points
- The Russian General Prosecutor’s Office has declared the Clooney Foundation for Justice an ‘undesirable organization’ in Russia.
- The foundation is accused of discrediting Russia and supporting ‘false patriots’ and banned organizations.
- This decision effectively bans the foundation from operating in Russia and may lead to criminal charges for those who cooperate with it.
- The move is part of a broader crackdown on dissent and foreign influence in Russia since the start of the Ukraine conflict.
Contradictions👾While Russian authorities accuse the foundation of promoting criminal prosecution of Russian leadership, the Clooney Foundation claims to focus on fighting for justice and human rights globally.
👾There are conflicting reports about the foundation’s intentions regarding Russian journalists, with initial claims of seeking arrest warrants later denied by George Clooney.
