22/12/2022 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday, 21 December, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service denounced the Russian Ministry of Justice’s request for a court order to shut down the Moscow Helsinki Group, “one of the country’s most respected human rights organisations”, for allegedly violating legal requirements in the context of its activities. “This initiative is clearly politically motivated”, he said in a statement. The spokesperson decried the fact that Russian authorities continue to flout international and national commitments and obligations “by systematically violating human rights and cracking down on journalists, human rights defenders and activists and closing down or blocking independent media”. (CG)