More than 2,000 non-governmental organizations were searched – the Federal Foreign Office should demand an explanation from Moscow

Alarmed by an urgent e-mail from the renowned Russian human rights organization Memorial, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) warns about a new wave of harassment against non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Russia. On Thursday morning, Memorial's office in Moscow was searched by officials of the state prosecutor, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice and the tax authorities. Also, two TV-journalists of the pro-government broadcaster NTV entered the rooms, but then retreated to their broadcasting van outside the office after the staff had protested and called the police. According to reports of the President's human rights advisors, up to 2,000 NGOs across Russia were searched in the same way during the past few days.

"In view of these new acts of arbitrariness against human rights organizations, we would like to ask the German federal government to demand an explanation from the Russian officials," says Sarah Reinke, the STP's expert on questions regarding the CIS states. The letter to the Foreign Office says that "Germany must make clear that the new development is being observed with concern – and that the important representatives of Russia's civil society can count on support in this difficult situation."