Amnesty International ejected from its Moscow office

Amnesty International, a campaign group which has accused the Kremlin of violating human rights with its bombing campaign in Syria, was ejected from its Moscow office on Wednesday. The Moscow city government, from which Amnesty leased the premises in central Moscow, said the group was behind on the rent, but Amnesty said it had documents […]

Amnesty International, a campaign group which has accused the Kremlin of violating human rights with its bombing campaign in Syria, was ejected from its Moscow office on Wednesday.
The Moscow city government, from which Amnesty leased the premises in central Moscow, said the group was behind on the rent, but Amnesty said it had documents to prove it was up to date with payments. Staff at the Moscow office arrived at work to find the locks had been changed, official seals had been placed over the doors, and the electricity had been cut off.
Rights groups that receive foreign funding and are critical of the Kremlin have come under pressure from the Russian authorities in the past few years, with some having to close down or scale back their activities in Russia.