The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has condemned Russia over its foreign agents law, adopted in 2012, saying it is “arbitrary” and creates a “climate of mistrust.”

107 non-governmental organizations and members of Russian civil society appealed to the ECHR. According to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, the current legislation is stigmatizing, misleading, and applied in an overly broad and unpredictable manner.

The Court also held that the purpose of this legislation is to punish and intimidate and not to respond to a need for transparency or legitimate national security claims.

The Strasbourg-based European Court concluded that Russia’s law on foreign agents violates the principles of freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and respect for private and family life.

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Russia was excluded in March 2022 from the ECHR after its invasion of Ukraine, but the court’s rulings can be imposed on the country for earlier events.

Among the dozens of plaintiffs are the International Memorial and the Memorial Human Rights Center, Radio Free/Europe/Radio Liberty, journalists, human rights defenders, and environmental activists.

They ran afoul of legislation that forced them to register as foreign agents, subjecting them to strict inspections, fines, and restrictions on their activities.

The 107 plaintiffs said that the legislation was part of a systematic campaign by the Russian state against human rights organizations and media critical of the government.

The ECHR has reviewed Russia’s “foreign agents” law in the past following an appeal by 73 Russian NGOs. In their decision issued in June 2022 by the European judges, they had unanimously assessed that this legislation contravenes the European Convention on Human Rights.

The lower house of the Russian parliament, the Duma, adopted in 2022 several amendments under which Russia is not obliged to implement ECHR rulings, issued after Moscow was excluded from the Council of Europe.

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