The oldest human rights organization in the Republic of Mari El, “Man and Law,” announced its closure after the Fourth Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction in Nizhny Novgorod approved the decision to liquidate it.
“Man and Law” worked in Mari El for 24 years. The main areas of its activity are protecting the rights of activists, prisoners and citizens from “illegal actions on the part of persons in authority.” The organization was added to the register of “foreign agents” back in 2014.
“We are sure that the state is making a huge mistake by destroying human rights organizations throughout Russia — people are left alone with the system, completely defenseless against the arbitrariness of on the part of government authorities,” says the project’s website.
Human rights activists emphasized that they do not agree that their organization, which has received international consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council, “maliciously and systematically violates the law.”
After the decision of the appeal court, “Man and the Law” is going to appeal to the UN Human Rights Committee. As the First Department previously noted, an appeal to the UN became the last opportunity to challenge the decision after Russia refused to comply with the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights.
The Supreme Court of Mari El liquidated “Man and Law” in August 2023 of the year. Four years earlier, the Ministry of Justice had already applied to the court with the same demand, but then the Supreme Court of Mari El refused to satisfy the department’s claim.