Shutting Down Russia Bashing, Western Financed NGOs in Moscow

On Friday, Russia’s Justice Ministry ordered the closure of hostile Western NGOs in the country.

To date, 15 organizations were removed from its registry of international groups for “violations of the current legislation of the Russian Federation” — with no further elaboration.

They include offices of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Institute for International Education, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Aga Khan Foundation, and the Wspolnota Polska Association.

On Friday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International (AI) were added to Russia’s persona non grata list.

Both organizations publish defamatory reports on invented US/Western enemies.

They operate as mouthpieces for their interests.

They’re imperial tools.

HRW’s executive director Kenneth Roth is a former US federal prosecutor. 

His predecessor Aryeh Neier left to become president of George Soros’ Open Society Institute. 

Other past and present HRW staffers are former US officials or have ties to sources and groups representing Washington’s geopolitical interests — including the infamous undemocratic National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

Like HRW, AI fronts for powerful US/Western interests.

Both organizations are more concerned about serving their funding sources and publicity to attract more of the same than human rights.

Russia shut down HRW for fake news rubbish like the following, saying:

“Today, Russia is more repressive than it has ever been in the post-Soviet era (sic).” 

“(A)uthorities crack down on critical media, harass peaceful protesters, engage in smear campaigns against independent groups, and stifle them with fines (sic).”

In early April, HRW defied reality by falsely accusing Russian forces in Ukraine of “rape…summary execution(s), (along with) committing laws-of-war violations against civilians (sic), (and) looting civilian property (sic).”

HRW provided no verifiable evidence to support what it falsely claimed to document — because none exists.

It falsely claimed that Russian forces “rounded up” men in Ukraine and “executed them (sic).”

Ignoring generous humanitarian aid provided by Russian forces to Ukrainians, HRW falsely accused them of forcibly “taking food, firewood, clothing, and other items” in areas of the country where they’ve operated.

In response to shutting down its office and de-registering the group, HRW’s Roth said the following:

“This new iron curtain (sic) will not stop our ongoing efforts to defend the rights of all Russians and to protect civilians in Ukraine (sic).”

He lied accusing Moscow of “criminalizing” independent war reporting.

There’s nothing remotely “independent” about US/Western NGOs, notably not imperial tools like HRW, AI and other groups that are bribed with big bucks to serve their interests.

Ignoring democracy as it should be in Russia compared to US/Western fantasy versions, Roth falsely accused the country of “turn(ing) toward authoritarianism (sic).”

The above Big Lies were followed by an appeal for donations to continue its bashing of invented US/Western enemies.

Russia shut down AI for falsely accusing its authorities of “violat(ing) the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly…torture…disappearances…deportation of refugees and asylum seekers (along with) failure to address domestic violence (sic).”

It lied accusing Russia of “aggression in Ukraine (sic).”

It lied claiming that Russian forces “extrajudicially executed civilians in” the country (sic).

It lied saying that they’re responsible for “horrifying violence (and) widespread intimidation (sic).”

AI’s head Agnes Callamard turned truth on its head, falsely claiming that Russian forces are “kill(ing) unarmed civilians…in their homes and streets in acts of unspeakable cruelty and shocking brutality (sic),” adding:

“We gathered (so-called) evidence that Russian forces have committed extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings (sic).”

“People in Ukraine are facing a catastrophic human rights crisis.” 

“People are dying, including children, and many thousands of lives are at risk.” 

“Take action to demand that the Russian authorities stop this act of aggression and protect civilians now (sic).”

All of the above and lots more of the same apply to Nazified Ukrainian forces — clearly not Russia.

Yet HRW and AI falsely accused Moscow of their war crimes and related atrocities — in deference to their US/Western donors.

AI lied accusing Russian authorities of “an unprecedented, nationwide crackdown on independent journalism, anti-war protests and dissenting voices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (sic).” 

“The Kremlin remains hellbent on hiding the human cost of its war and has blocked independent news sites and social media (sic).” 

The above applies to how US/Western regimes operate, not Russia.

In response to Russia’s shutdown of its office, AI’s Callamard falsely said the following:

“Amnesty’s closing down in Russia is only the latest in a long list of organizations that have been punished for defending human rights (sic) and speaking the truth to the Russian authorities (sic).” 

“In a country where scores of activists and dissidents have been imprisoned, killed or exiled (sic), where independent media has been smeared, blocked or forced to self-censor (sic), and where civil society organizations have been outlawed or liquidated (sic), you must be doing something right if the Kremlin tries to shut you up (sic).”

Russia should have shut down imperial tools HRW and AI long ago.

Pretending support for human rights belies how they, in fact, operate.

The rights and interests of US/Western donors alone are served — at the expense of what both organizations falsely claim to stand for.