Russia Labels Clooney Foundation as ‘Undesirable’

Aug. 19 (UPI) — On Monday, Russian prosecutors designated the U.S.-based Clooney Foundation for Justice as “undesirable,” accusing it of working to discredit the Kremlin under the guise of a humanitarian organization.

The decision by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office effectively bans the foundation’s activities in the country. Since 2015, Russian prosecutors have had the authority to deem non-governmental organizations as “undesirable,” a power established amid President Vladimir Putin’s increasing restrictions on such entities.

In a statement published on its Telegram account, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office said The Clooney Foundation “carries out work aimed at discrediting Russia at a Hollywood scale” and “actively supports false patriots who have left the country, members of banned extremist groups, and terrorist organizations.”

“Under the guise of humanitarian ideas, the ‘fighters for justice’ from Madison Avenue promote initiatives for the criminal prosecution of Russia’s top leadership and publicly disseminate negative pseudo-expert assessments of Russian legislation on foreign agents and NGOs,” the statement added.

The Clooney Foundation was founded by actor George Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, in 2016 with the mission to advance justice worldwide.

UPI has reached out to The Clooney Foundation for comment.

In July, the foundation, along with Legal Action Worldwide and Truth Hounds, filed a complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Committee on behalf of victims of a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia that killed more than two dozen people and injured hundreds more.

The foundation has also filed other complaints against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine with international prosecutors in Austria and Germany.