Joint Letter: Renew the Mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Russia

To Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the UN Human Rights Council

Excellency,

We, the undersigned organisations, urge your delegation to support the renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation during the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC).

Since the Council last renewed the mandate, the human rights situation in Russia has deteriorated even further. Repressive measures that initially intensified following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine have increasingly become permanent, eliminating the space for independent civil society and severely restricting a broad range of human rights.

This deterioration continues to be documented by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. In his June

2026 Global Update to the Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner warned that in Russia, alongside Belarus and Iran, “thousands of human rights activists and journalists are criminalised and prosecuted as terrorists and extremists”. He also said that “Russia is intensifying its persecution of LGBTIQ+ communities”, noting that in the preceding three months alone, at least nine organisations protecting their rights had been designated extremist.

Key human rights developments since September 2025:

The designation of Memorial-affiliated civil society organisations and the human rights group OVDInfo as extremist organisations in April 2026. This represents a significant escalation in the targeting of independent civil society. Criminal liability potentially extends beyond the organisations and their staff as cooperation, financial support and other forms of association with the organisations may also expose lawyers, journalists, researchers, volunteers, donors and relatives of political prisoners to prosecution. This expansion has also affected Indigenous rights defenders. In December 2025, Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt were detained on “terrorism” charges linked to their peaceful

Indigenous rights work, amid searches targeting at least 17 other Indigenous activists and defenders;

The further closure of space for peaceful political participation ahead of the September 2026 State Duma elections. Administrative and criminal proceedings, “foreign agent” designations and antiextremism legislation have been used to disqualify and prosecute anti-war politicians and opposition candidates. In August 2026, the Supreme Court barred Yabloko, the only registered political party openly opposing Russia's war against Ukraine, from participating in the parliamentary elections;
The intensified use of “undesirable organisation” legislation, designating 124 organisations between July 2025 and July 2026, and exposing those who cooperate with them to prosecution. This has included organisations such as Committee to Protect Journalists, European Prison Litigation Network, Human Rights Watch (HRW), ILGA, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), International Commission of Jurists, Stichting Justice Initiative and World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), among others;
Escalation of repression against LGBTIQ+ people. Following the Supreme Court's November 2023 designation of the “international LGBT movement” as extremist, authorities have increasingly applied anti-extremism legislation against individuals, organisations and businesses associated with LGBTIQ+ people. In June 2026, the Pose club case in Orenburg, the first criminal case following this designation, resulted in prison sentences of up to seven years for alleged participation in this movement;
Those detained or imprisoned for their human rights work face torture and other ill-treatment, prolonged punitive isolation, denial of necessary medical care, restrictions on communication and obstacles to legal representation. Human rights organisations continue to document such treatment and conditions, noting as well that Individuals approaching release increasingly face additional criminal charges or disciplinary measures that may arbitrarily prolong their imprisonment;
Charges including high treason and organising the activities of an "undesirable organisation" have been brought against human rights defenders and lawyers monitoring conditions of detention and reporting allegations of torture. Lawyers representing defendants in politically sensitive cases

continue to face criminal prosecution, detention, disciplinary proceedings and disbarment for carrying out their professional functions, further undermining the rights to a fair trial and an effective remedy, as well as access to independent legal representation;

Further expansion of repression against human rights defenders and critics living abroad. In August

2026, legislation came into force establishing a new system of punitive restrictions against citizens of Russia outside the country who are deemed to be evading criminal or specified administrative penalties, such as those imposed under laws on “foreign agents”, “undesirable organisations”, and “discrediting” the armed forces that are predominantly used against peaceful dissent. The measures include freezing bank accounts and other assets, restricting property transactions and access to online banking, and denying access to a range of consular, notarial and digital government services. Notably, the denial of a wide range of consular services potentially forces citizens of Russia to return to the country to renew passports and other documents.

The Special Rapporteur remains the only independent UN mandate dedicated specifically to documenting the human rights situation inside the Russian Federation and providing an account of these developments. The work of the mandate remains a vital resource for States, international institutions and Russian civil society, including human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists working both inside Russia and in exile.

The mandate also remains distinct from, and complementary to, other HRC mechanisms addressing Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Maintaining dedicated scrutiny of the domestic human rights situation in the Russian Federation ensures that the escalating repression of Russian civil society and dissent is documented alongside, but separately from, accountability processes concerning violations and international crimes committed in Ukraine.

We therefore call on your delegation to support the renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation at HRC63 and to ensure that the mandate is provided with the resources necessary for effective, rigorous and independent monitoring and reporting.

Renewal is essential to maintain international scrutiny of an increasingly consolidated system of repression, preserve an authoritative record of violations, and ensure that the voices of victims and survivors, human rights defenders and independent civil society are heard rather than silenced.

Respectfully,