Amnesty, HRW offices to shut down in Russia

Russia said it was shutting down the local offices of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International that have been working in the country for the past 30 years.

Human Rights Watch has been operating in Russia for 30 years, while Amnesty has had a presence in the country since 1993.

All in all, 15 organisations have been taken off Russia's registry of international organisations and foreign NGOs due to "violations of the current legislation of the Russian Federation," the justice ministry said in a statement without providing further details.

Russia also shut down the local offices of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Aga Khan Foundation, the Wspolnota Polska Association and other organisations.

Rachel Denber, deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia division at Human Rights Watch, said there was little doubt the move was in response to the organisation's reporting on Russia's offensive in Ukraine.

Denber, who previously directed the watchdog's Moscow office, said Human Rights Watch would continue to work on Russia.

Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said her organisation would also continue to support Russians.

Over the past year Russian authorities have been presiding over an unprecedented crackdown on dissent and independent journalism that has included dubbing non-governmental organisations and media outlets as "foreign agents".