LONDON: Amnesty International said on Monday that it would keep up investigations on Russia despite Moscow declaring the rights group an `undesirable organisation`, effectively banning its operations and exposing supporters to prosecution.

`This decision is part of the Russian government`s broader effort to silence dissent and isolate civil society, Amnesty secretary general Agnes Callamard said in a statement. Amnesty said the move would not deter its efforts to document rights abuses, including alleged war crimes by Russian forces in Ukraine.

Russia`s prosecutor general accused the Londonheadquartered body of being a `centre for the preparation of global Russophobic projects, paid for by accomplices of the Kyiv regime.` Moscow has outlawed dozens of international civil society groups amid a years-long crackdown on dissent and criticism that has escalated since it launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It said the group had `been doing everything possible to intensify the military confrontation in the region, justifying the crimes of the Ukrainian neo-Nazis, calling for increased funding for them and supporting the political and economic isolation of our country.` Kyiv, the West and independent experts have repeatedly rejected Moscow`s claims that it is fighting to `de-Nazify` Ukraine as baseless Kremlin propaganda.

On its website, Amnesty calls Russia`s military offensive on Ukraine a `war of aggression`. `The rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association remained severely restricted,` it adds, detailing `arbitrary persecution` of religious groups, children and LGBTQ groups, among others. `Dissenters faced arbitr ary prose cutions, unf air trials, heavy fines and lengthy prison terms under a plethora of laws that failed to meet international human rights standards,` Amnesty stated.

Groups labelled `undesirable` are banned from operating in Russia.-AFP