Russia: Rights Defender Faces Criminal Charges

Click to expand Image Semyon Simonov © 2020 Private (Moscow) – Russian authorities have placed a prominent human rights defender under a travel ban and may soon formally bring criminal charges against him in relation to the “foreign agents” law, Human Rights Watch said today. Semyon Simonov, head of the Southern Human Rights Center, based in Sochi, could face up to two years in prison if charged and convicted for unpaid fines levied against the center. The criminal charges follow years of harassment and intimidation against Simonov for his human rights work. The authorities should immediately…

© Human Rights Watch - mercredi 15 juillet 2020