Russian authorities on Monday declared Hollywood star George Clooney’s nonprofit foundation “undesirable,” prohibiting it from operating in Russia.
The Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) was founded in 2016 by American actor Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, to investigate human rights abuses. According to its website, the CJF is “actively investigating war crimes in Ukraine.”
Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement on Telegram that the foundation “carries out work aimed at discrediting Russia on a Hollywood scale.”
“It actively supports pseudo-patriots who have left the country, members of banned extremist associations and terrorist organizations,” the statement said.
Russia has branded dozens of foreign charities, think tanks and other civil society groups “undesirable” since 2015 when it passed a law allowing it to target groups that are critical of President Vladimir Putin’s regime. The designation means an organization cannot operate in Russia and prohibits the country’s banks and companies from working with them.
POLITICO contacted the CFJ for comment.