India, May 20 -- The Russian authorities on Monday banned Amnesty International as an "undesirable organisation", thereby criminalising its activities and any association with the organisation in the country.

The Sverdlovsk region directorate of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said the decision was taken as per the country's policy of cleaning the nation's information space of any destructive external influences.

"Decisions to recognize the activities of foreign public organizations as undesirable in our country are aimed at defending Russia's information space and society from destructive external influences. The designation of such organization is an instrument to objectively assess information about their activities," Sverdlo...