Editing Vladimir Putin (section)

=== Human rights policy ===
{{Main|Human rights in Russia}}
{{See also|Dima Yakovlev Law|Russian foreign agent law|Russian Internet Restriction Bill}}
[[File:Sun in the flags of protesters (50096710531).jpg|thumb|[[Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia|Russian opposition]] politician [[Alexei Navalny]] attends a march in memory of [[assassination of Boris Nemtsov|assassinated]] opposition politician [[Boris Nemtsov]], Moscow, 29 February 2020]]
New York City-based NGO [[Human Rights Watch]], in a report titled ''Laws of Attrition'', authored by Hugh Williamson, the British director of HRW's Europe & Central Asia Division, has claimed that since May 2012, when Putin was reelected as president, Russia has enacted many restrictive laws, started inspections of non-governmental organizations, harassed, intimidated and imprisoned political activists, and started to restrict critics. The new laws include the "foreign agents" law, which is widely regarded as over-broad by including Russian human rights organizations which receive some international grant funding, the treason law, and the assembly law which penalizes many expressions of dissent.<ref>[https://www.hrw.org/node/115059 "Laws of Attrition: Crackdown on Russia's Civil Society after Putin's Return to the Presidency,"] Human Rights Watch pdf report, 24 April 2013.</ref><ref>[https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/04/24/russia-worst-human-rights-climate-post-soviet-era Russia: Worst Human Rights Climate in Post-Soviet Era, Unprecedented Crackdown on Civil Society] Human Rights Watch Summary, 24 April 2013.</ref> Human rights activists have criticized Russia for censoring speech of LGBT activists due to [[Russian gay propaganda law|"the gay propaganda law"]]<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/04/kyrgyzstan-lgbt-community-fear-attacks-russia |title = 'We'll cut off your head': open season for LGBT attacks in Kyrgyzstan |last = North |first = Andrew |date = 4 May 2016 |work =[[The Guardian]] |access-date = 21 June 2017 |issn = 0261-3077 }}</ref> and increasing violence against LGBT+ people due to the law.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/01/russia-rise-homophobic-violence |title = Russian anti-gay law prompts rise in homophobic violence |last = Luhn |first = Alec |date = 1 September 2013 |work =[[The Guardian]] |access-date = 21 June 2017 |issn = 0261-3077 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url = http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2014/10/09/russian_lgbt_activists_on_the_effects_of_gay_propaganda_law.html |title = The Chilling Effects of Russia's Anti-Gay Law, One Year Later |last = Keating |first = Joshua |date = 9 October 2014 |work = Slate |access-date = 21 June 2017 |issn = 1091-2339 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url = https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russias-lgbt-youth-victimized-by-gay-propaganda-law-49524 |title = Russia's LGBT Youth Victimized by 'Gay Propaganda' Law|work=The Moscow Times|access-date = 21 June 2017 }}</ref>

In 2020, Putin signed a law on labelling individuals and organizations receiving funding from abroad as "foreign agents". The law is an expansion of "foreign agent" legislation adopted in 2012.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date = 30 December 2020 |title = Putin Signs Controversial 'Foreign Agent' Law Expansion |url = https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/12/30/putin-signs-controversial-foreign-agent-law-expansion-a72524 |website = [[Moscow Times]] }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last = Odynova |first = Alexandra |date = 31 December 2020 |title = Putin ends 2020 by tightening the legal noose on press and individual freedoms |url = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-vladimir-putin-ends-2020-laws-foreign-agents-limits-press-individual-freedoms/ |publisher = [[CBS News]] }}</ref>

As of June 2020, per Memorial Human Rights Center, there were 380 political prisoners in Russia, including 63 individuals prosecuted, directly or indirectly, for political activities (including Alexey Navalny) and 245 prosecuted for their involvement with one of the Muslim organizations that are banned in Russia. 78 individuals on the list, i.e., more than 20% of the total, are residents of Crimea.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date = 4 October 2017 |title = Списки преследуемых|trans-title=Lists of persecuted|url = https://memohrc.org/ru/content/spiski-presleduemyh |access-date = 11 October 2021 |website = Правозащитный центр «Мемориал» }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last1 = Council |first1 = Russian-speaking Community |date = 14 June 2021 |title = Russia's Political Prisoners Directory |url = https://amrusrights.wordpress.com/2021/06/14/russias-political-prisoners-directory/ |access-date = 11 October 2021 |website = American Russian-Speaking Association for Civil & Human Rights }}</ref> As of December 2022, more than 4,000 people were prosecuted for criticizing the war in Ukraine under Russia's [[Russian 2022 war censorship laws|war censorship laws]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Weir |first1=Fred |title=In Russia, critiquing the Ukraine war could land you in prison |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2022/1205/In-Russia-critiquing-the-Ukraine-war-could-land-you-in-prison |work=CSMonitor.com |date=5 December 2022}}</ref>