Reacting to news that Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has petitioned the Supreme Court to designate the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF) founded by the late prisoner of conscience Aleksei Navalny a “terrorist organization,” Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:
“The Kremlin has been relentless in its persecution of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and his supporters. Its campaign of repression led to Navalny’s death in custody in February 2024, the banning of organizations he founded, and the exile and criminal prosecution of their activists and staff. Still unsatisfied, the Kremlin is now determined to deliver a final, fatal blow. This move is not just about dismantling Navalny’s legacy but crushing any pockets of dissent left in the country.
“The “terrorist” designation would expose anyone associated with ACF (FBK in Russian) or Aleksei Navalny to criminal prosecution with the harshest penalties, including up to life in prison. FBK once stood at the very centre of civic life in Russia, supported by tens of thousands country-wide; this decision could unleash a floodgate of mass reprisals.
“The Prosecutor General must immediately withdraw its unlawful petition and end the misuse of anti-“terrorism,” and other legislation to crush dissent. The Russian authorities must also lift the ban on ACF, stop persecuting people for alleged association with it, and ensure a transparent and effective investigation into the death of Aleksei Navalny conducted by independent and impartial international experts.”
Background
On 22 October 2025, the Prosecutor General’s Office petitioned the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to recognize the US-registered ACF Inc. (Anti-Corruption Foundation, the legal successor of the banned Russia-based FBK) as a “terrorist organization” under Russia’s broad anti-“terrorism” laws. The hearing is scheduled for 27 November and will take place behind closed doors. It will be presided by the same judge who previously banned the non-existent “international LGBT movement” and “international satanism movement” on the grounds of “extremism.”
Just last week members of the Anti-War Committee, established by exiled opposition activists, were charged with “terrorism”-related offences.
