Russia orders closure of leading rights group

Russia's Supreme Court on Friday issued a ruling to wind up the operations of a respected rights group that has operated for more than two decades, its executive director said.

For Human Rights vowed to appeal the ruling, which comes after the government in February added it to a register of "foreign agents," a label slapped on organisations seen as political and receiving foreign funding.

"We will appeal the ruling and also go to the European Court of Human Rights," For Human Rights chief Lev Ponomaryov said.

"The movement itself will continue to live and work," he told AFP.

The rights group is one of Russia's oldest, founded in 1997, with a mission to promote the rule of law and civil society.

Ponomaryov, 78, is one of the country's most prominent activists.

The group, which investigates rights abuses, has faced an onslaught of legal action.

In December last year Ponomaryov spent more than two weeks in jail for urging people to take part in an unsanctioned rally in Moscow.

Over the past few years, the authorities have been steadily ramping up pressure on rights campaigners.

Last month President Vladimir Putin removed several opposition figures from his human rights council.