Statement by Transparency International Russia
The decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to designate the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF) as a “terrorist organisation” demonstrates one thing only: the state no longer hides that it sees independent oversight of those in power as a threat. When the fight against corruption is labelled as terrorism, it has nothing to do with protecting people from terror and everything to do with silencing those who expose crimes.
Such a distortion of the concept of “terrorism” places journalists, investigators, and human rights defenders at risk. The law no longer protects society when terrorism is defined not as violence, but as efforts to draw public attention to corruption. The Russian authorities are effectively claiming that what is dangerous is not embezzlement, but its exposure, even though it is impunity for corruption that drives poverty, violence, and war.
No terminology can change the obvious: society knows who and what truly undermine people’s security and the country’s future.
