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[Text/Observer Network Qi Qian] According to the Russian TASS news agency, on August 19 local time, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office announced that the foundation project "Clooney Justice Foundation" under Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife was listed as an "undesirable organization" by the Russian side.

The Russian Prosecutor General's Office said in a statement released on the same day: "The activities of the American non-governmental organization 'Clooney Justice Foundation' are considered unwelcome... The organization has long been engaged in defamation activities against Russia in a Hollywood-style manner."

The statement accused the foundation of "actively supporting pseudo-patriots leaving Russia, as well as members of banned extremist and terrorist organizations," while "under the guise of humanitarianism" promoting initiatives for criminal prosecution of senior Russian officials and spreading negative comments about the Russian government's bills on foreign agents and non-governmental organizations.

According to relevant regulations, foreign non-governmental organizations listed on the "undesirable" list by the Russian government are not allowed to operate in Russia, open branches, disseminate information materials, or conduct financial and property transactions with financial institutions. Those who participate in the activities of these organizations may face a fine of less than 100,000 rubles (about 10,888 yuan) and up to 6 years in prison.

George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney foreign media file photo

Public information shows that in 2016, American Hollywood actor George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney, an international law and human rights lawyer, founded the "Clooney Justice Foundation" in New York, USA, aiming to spread justice in more parts of the world, including protecting refugees seeking asylum and helping refugee children get educational opportunities.

On May 20 this year, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) applied for an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others. US media reported that Amal played a "key role" in this process. Amal wrote on the website of the Clooney Justice Foundation that the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court asked her in January to assist in evaluating evidence of suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza War. She agreed to the request and joined an international legal expert team.

It is worth mentioning that the Clooneys are also widely regarded as supporters of US President Biden. On July 10, George Clooney, a "big donor" who had donated a large sum of campaign funds to Biden, publicly published an article in the media calling on Biden to withdraw from the election.

According to a report by Russia's Sputnik News Agency in May, the Clooney Justice Foundation plans to hunt down Russian journalists through secret arrest warrants.

Anna Nesta, director of legal affairs for the foundation's litigation project, has said that some European countries have provisions on "war propaganda" in their criminal laws, and the foundation is preparing to file cases in these countries. She said that if an arrest warrant is issued, Europol may detain journalists across Europe. Nesta declined to name the journalists she plans to hunt down, but added that "we are talking about the most obvious Russian propagandists."

However, Clooney himself denied the news that he planned to arrest the Russian journalist. He responded that "someone in our foundation expressed the wrong opinion" and that the foundation would never hold the journalist accountable even if they disagreed with the journalist's position.

In July, the Russian State Duma passed a law to expand the list of organizations that can be identified as "undesirable organizations." From now on, not only foreign non-governmental organizations, but any other organizations can be identified as "undesirable organizations" as long as their founders or participants are foreign state agencies.

Russian State Duma Chairman Volodin previously stated that organizations established by state institutions in the United States, Britain and other European countries are carrying out anti-Russian activities, and curbing these organizations is related to security and protecting the interests of Russian citizens.

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