Russian court orders rights group Memorial to close
Published: 04:12 PM,Dec 28,2021 | EDITED : 08:12 PM,Dec 28,2021
Supporters of the human rights group International Memorial and journalists gather outside a court building after a hearing of the Russian Supreme Court to consider the closure of International Memorial in Moscow, on Tuesday. - Reuters
MOSCOW: Russia's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the closure of Memorial, the country's most prominent rights group, which chronicled Stalin-era purges and symbolised post-Soviet democratisation.
Judge Alla Nazarova ordered the closure of Memorial International, the organisation's central structure, and its regional branches for failing to mark all of its publications with a label of 'foreign agent' as required by law.
The 'foreign agent' legislation, which carries Stalin-era connotations, brands organisations receiving funds from overseas as acting against Russia's interests.
'Disgrace! Disgrace!' some supporters shouted in court after the ruling.
Prosecutors also accused Memorial International of denigrating the memory of the Soviet Union and its victories and rehabilitating 'Nazi criminals'.
During Tuesday's hearing a prosecutor said Memorial 'creates a false image of the USSR as a terrorist state and denigrates the memory of World War II'.
The court decision is the hardest blow yet to the organisation founded in 1989 by Soviet dissidents including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov.
Lawyer Maria Eismont said the shutdown was a 'very bad sign' but added that Memorial would appeal and press ahead with its work.
'This is not the end,' she told reporters.
'TRAGEDY FOR RUSSIA'
Dozens of supporters gathered outside the courthouse in freezing temperatures and several people were detained. After the ruling, police demanded that members of the public and journalists disperse.
Memorial is a loose structure of locally registered organisations, with Memorial International maintaining the network's extensive archives in Moscow and coordinating its work.
The group has spent years cataloguing atrocities committed in the Soviet Union, especially in the notorious network of prison camps, the Gulag.
The move against Memorial caps a year that has seen authorities jail President Vladimir Putin's top critic Alexei Navalny, outlaw his organisations and crack down on independent media and rights groups.
But the ban against Memorial International stands out even in the current climate and would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.
Supporters say its closure signals the end of an era in Russia's post-Soviet democratisation process, which began 30 years ago this month.
Supporter Maria Biryukova said Russia needed Memorial to make sure the country did not repeat mistakes of the past.
'Memorial tells the truth, in no way does it denigrate the country,' she said. - AFP
Judge Alla Nazarova ordered the closure of Memorial International, the organisation's central structure, and its regional branches for failing to mark all of its publications with a label of 'foreign agent' as required by law.
The 'foreign agent' legislation, which carries Stalin-era connotations, brands organisations receiving funds from overseas as acting against Russia's interests.
'Disgrace! Disgrace!' some supporters shouted in court after the ruling.
Prosecutors also accused Memorial International of denigrating the memory of the Soviet Union and its victories and rehabilitating 'Nazi criminals'.
During Tuesday's hearing a prosecutor said Memorial 'creates a false image of the USSR as a terrorist state and denigrates the memory of World War II'.
The court decision is the hardest blow yet to the organisation founded in 1989 by Soviet dissidents including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov.
Lawyer Maria Eismont said the shutdown was a 'very bad sign' but added that Memorial would appeal and press ahead with its work.
'This is not the end,' she told reporters.
'TRAGEDY FOR RUSSIA'
Dozens of supporters gathered outside the courthouse in freezing temperatures and several people were detained. After the ruling, police demanded that members of the public and journalists disperse.
Memorial is a loose structure of locally registered organisations, with Memorial International maintaining the network's extensive archives in Moscow and coordinating its work.
The group has spent years cataloguing atrocities committed in the Soviet Union, especially in the notorious network of prison camps, the Gulag.
The move against Memorial caps a year that has seen authorities jail President Vladimir Putin's top critic Alexei Navalny, outlaw his organisations and crack down on independent media and rights groups.
But the ban against Memorial International stands out even in the current climate and would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.
Supporters say its closure signals the end of an era in Russia's post-Soviet democratisation process, which began 30 years ago this month.
Supporter Maria Biryukova said Russia needed Memorial to make sure the country did not repeat mistakes of the past.
'Memorial tells the truth, in no way does it denigrate the country,' she said. - AFP