Human rights in Russia have ‘significantly’ worsened since Ukraine war began, UN-backed expert says

GENEVA (AP) — An expert commissioned by the U.N.’s top human rights body says in her first report on Russia that the rights situation in the country has “significantly deteriorated” since President Vladimir Putin launched his war against Ukraine last February. Mariana Katzarova, the special rapporteur on Russia’s rights situation mandated by the Human Rights Council, chronicled the domestic crackdown that has largely targeted critics of Putin’s war as well as other opposition voices in Russia. The report cited figures indicating that more than 20,000 people were detained between February last year and June for participating in anti-war protests.