Russia Builds a Digital Iron Curtain: WhatsApp Accuses Authorities of Attempting Full Block Amid Push for State Messenger MAX Russia is moving closer to erecting a new kind of Iron Curtain — not of concrete and barbed wire but of code and surveillance. WhatsApp has accused Russian authorities of attempting to fully block the messenger as part of efforts to push users toward a state-controlled alternative vulnerable to
North Korea Builds Housing for Families of Soldiers Killed in Russia’s War Against Ukraine According to a report by Deutsche Welle (DW), North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has inaugurated a newly constructed housing district in Pyongyang for the families of soldiers who died during overseas military deployments — widely understood to refer to North Korean troops sent to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. DW, citing the state news
On 16 February 2026, at least 19 people were detained at memorial events marking the anniversary of Alexei Navalny's murder. Flowers on Alexei Navalny's grave. Photo: "Navalny's Team" Citizens brought flowers, candles and photographs to memorial sites, including Borisovskoye Cemetery in Moscow and monuments to victims of political repression. On 16 February 2026, on the second anniversary of the death of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, peaceful memorial
Two years after the death of Alexei Navalny, ISHR warns of ongoing repression against his former lawyers. The seriously ill Aleksei Liptser has been transferred, after months of prison transports across Siberia, to a remote penal colony. ISHR demands his immediate release, access to independent doctors, and the dropping of all fabricated charges.
Russia — helping those driven to complete poverty by state repression In modern Russia, not only critics of the authorities are persecuted, but also those who try to defend them. The story of lawyers Aleksei Liptser, Vadim Kobzev and Igor Sergunin is a vivid example of how far repression can go. All three represented Alexei Navalny until his still-unexplained death in custody. But on 13 October 2023, they themselves became
Putin’s New Law – Harsher penalties for juveniles The International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) condemns the law passed by the Russian State Duma, which lowers the age of criminal responsibility for “sabotage and terrorist offences” to 14 years. In the future, minors will face prison sentences up to life imprisonment for symbolic resistance against the war and repression in the country. In Russia, Putin’s repressive apparatus is now systematically
Critics of the Russian regime and opponents of the war continue to face criminalisation, torture, and long-term imprisonment for distributing flyers, posting on social media, or participating in symbolic protests. On the Day of Political Prisoners in Russia, the ISHR reaffirmed our condemnation of the imprisonment and torture of Ukrainian and Russian civilians and called for their immediate release, alongside an end to hostilities. In Russian prisons, Ukrainian civilians are
On the occasion of Political Prisoners' Day in Russia, the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) condemns the imprisonment and torture of Ukrainian and Russian civilians and calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners. Day of Political Prisoners in Russia Thousands tortured and dehumanised Electric shocks, rape and cruel torture are commonplace Frankfurt am Main / Moscow, 29 October 2025 – In Russia, critics of the
Crimea. Peninsula of fear Russia continues to persecute Crimean Tatars – Appaz Kurtamet is the youngest Crimean Tatar political prisoner and is being held in Siberia BY MICHAEL LEH At the press conference of the Society for Threatened Peoples in Berlin (from left): Elvis Colpuh, Aishe Kurtamet, and Sarah Reinke. - Photo: Michael Leh The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) has reported in Berlin on the ongoing persecution
The horror in my house - Russian occupied territories in Ukraine This documentary reveals the deepest human abysses, which are still unknown to many, but which we must not deny. Introduction "There is an old rule: Wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, it belongs to us." So said the president of the world's largest country, Vladimir Putin, who has been charged with war crimes, on camera on 20 June 2025.