The Agora human rights organization has been declared undesirable in Russia. The decision was made by the Prosecutor General's Office due to the organization's alleged support for the opposition and other groups that have been officially labeled as extremist within the country. This news was reported on June 19 on the official website of the Prosecutor General's Office.
The Agora human rights organization has been declared undesirable by the Office of the General Prosecutor. The organization was included on the list of undesirable entities due to its focus on defending the rights and freedoms of opposition activists, including those deemed extremist by the authorities, and providing them with assistance.
The organization is led by lawyer Pavel Chikov. Earlier in 2023, Chikov in an interview with journalist Yuri Dud expressed his opinion on the lack of an independent judiciary in Russia and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Subsequently, the Ministry of Justice designated Chikov as a foreign agent for spreading misinformation about government decisions and involvement in materials produced by foreign agents. As a result, Chikov ceased operating his Telegram channel.
The Agora Interregional Association was established in 2005 and provided legal assistance to civil activists and NGOs affected by police actions. In 2014, the Ministry of Justice recognized the organization as a foreign agent and later dissolved it. However, the human rights activists formed the Agora International Group, continuing their work.
By 2021, the organization had 50 lawyers and attorneys operating in various cities including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Stavropol, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Lipetsk, and Chita, as well as in Helsinki, Sofia, and London.
After the start of the war in Ukraine, the group launched a mobilization help bot and offered assistance to the military who didn't want to fight.
