A UN Special Rapporteur has laid bare Russia’s systematic crackdown on dissent, targeting journalists, activists, lawyers, and political opponents under the guise of national security. With Russia ranking as the world’s third-largest jailer of journalists, charges of extremism and “fake news” serve as blunt instruments to silence criticism, while detainees face torture and harsh prison conditions.

The repression extends to those linked to Alexei Navalny, with harsh sentences handed to journalists and activists reporting on his Anti-Corruption Foundation. Counter-terrorism laws have become tools to suppress anti-war voices, exemplified by novelist Boris Akunin’s 14-year sentence in absentia.

Worryingly, torture is widespread and institutionalised, with disturbing evidence of medical complicity and punitive psychiatry. Marginalised groups, including LGBT people and ethnic minorities, face escalating state-sanctioned violence.

The report concludes that justice inside Russia is illusory. It calls on the international community to enforce accountability beyond Russia’s borders, lest impunity prevail.

Source: OHCHR: