Moscow prosecutors move to charge human-rights activist Anna Karetnikova

The Lefortovsky Interdistrict Prosecutor’s Office in Moscow has compiled evidence to open a criminal case against Anna Karetnikova, a prominent human-rights defender. Authorities allege she breached foreign-agent obligations by distributing publications outside Russia without the mandated label and by ignoring earlier administrative penalties. They further claim she aided an extremist organization, a charge that references her long-standing collaboration with Memorial, which the state declared extremist in April 2026.

The indictment does not specify which extremist group is meant. Karetnikova, who spent eight years on Moscow’s Public Monitoring Commission and served as a lead analyst for the Federal Penitentiary Service until her 2023 removal, has been living abroad since then. This marks the first criminal proceeding linked to cooperation with Memorial.