“Open Space” has announced its closure after being added to the list of “foreign agents.”

Co-founder of the human rights project “Open Space” Sasha Krylenkova announced that the project team has decided to halt its work after being added to the “foreign agents” list.

“The Ministry of Justice did something I wasn’t prepared for: they included participants in the list, in addition to me and Ilya, they essentially took hostage people who have not had, and some almost never had, any connection to the work of the space for a very long time. So for any violation by the organisation in submitting reports or bloody labelling, people who never signed up for this will be the ones to suffer,” Krylenkova wrote on her page.

“Putting a disclaimer on every publication is, firstly, disgusting, secondly, complicated, and thirdly, often pointless, and for any violation—see point one—people who cannot influence it are the ones who suffer,” she added.

The Ministry of Justice designated “Open Space” as a “foreign agent” last Friday, 13 February. Seven people are listed as participants in the register, including co-founders Sasha Krylenkova and Ilya Yershov.

• “Open Space” is a human rights project that supported activists, political prisoners and their loved ones. They provided legal and psychological assistance. The project had venues in Moscow and St Petersburg, where events in support of political prisoners—exhibitions, markets, and letter-writing evenings—were regularly held. Security forces repeatedly disrupted these events, and participants were detained or had their personal data recorded.