French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed France’s displeasure following Russia’s announcement to list the organization “Reporters Without Borders” as an “undesirable organization,” according to Reuters. The French Foreign Ministry stated in a release: “This decision is part of a crackdown campaign by Russian authorities against any voice criticizing the government, completely disregarding freedom of expression and press freedom.” The Russian Ministry of Justice said last Thursday it classified the international press freedom organization based in France as undesirable. Russia has regularly classified organizations it claims undermine its national security as “undesirable,” meaning Russian citizens working with or funding these organizations face up to five years in prison. Among organizations previously listed as undesirable by Russia are Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty funded by the U.S. government, Greenpeace, and Amnesty International based in London.

Reporters Without Borders was founded in France in 1985 and advocates for journalists and opposes censorship worldwide. The organization ranked Russia 171 out of 180 countries in its global press freedom index this year and listed 50 journalists detained in the country.