Human rights in Russia have ‘significantly deteriorated’ – UN expert.

On Monday, an expert from the United Nations stated that the state of human rights in Russia has substantially deteriorated since the country invaded Ukraine in February of the previous year. The expert also described a “systematic crackdown” on organizations that are part of civil society.

According to a copy of the report that Reuters viewed, “Russian authorities have severely curtailed the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly, and expression, both online and offline, and have fundamentally undermined the independence of the judiciary and the guarantees of a fair trial.” These restrictions have been implemented in both offline and online settings.

According to what was stated in the document, “an array of administrative sanctions is being applied arbitrarily against dissenters, and force is being used against peaceful protesters.”

It is the first time in the Human Rights Council’s (HRC) 16-year history that it has been mandated to investigate the human rights record of one of its so-called “P5” members. These nations have permanent seats on the Security Council. The report by the Special Rapporteur marks the occasion.

The Russian diplomatic mission in Geneva did not immediately react after the news broke.