International Memorial, one of Russia’s oldest human rights organisations, has been ordered closed by Russia’s Supreme Court. Millions of innocent individuals were executed, imprisoned, or persecuted throughout the Soviet era, and Memorial strove to restore their memories.
It has been formally “liquidated” for failing to mark several social media posts with its official status as a “foreign agent.”
In 2016, that classification was issued for accepting financing from outside the country.
In court, however, the prosecutor branded Memorial a “public threat,” accusing the group of being paid by the West to draw attention to Soviet misdeeds rather than a “glorious past.”
Memorial, which opened in 1989, became a symbol of a country opening up to the world – and to itself – as Russia began to confront its worst chapters. Its closing is a glaring example of how President Vladimir Putin has folded the country in on itself, dismissing criticism – even of history – as a hostile act.
As the decision was read out in court, there were screams of “shame!”
The verdict also highlights the surge in repression in modern-day Russia, where Memorial’s own human rights wing now lists over 400 political detainees, and independent organisations and media are increasingly labelled “foreign agents.”
Memorial’s lawyers contended in court that the organization’s work was useful to the “health of the nation.” They declared Memorial to be a friend of Russia, not an adversary, and denounced the liquidation case as ludicrous and “Orwellian.”
The extensive database of victims of political repression that the organisation has compiled over three decades of labour was one of the sites that the group neglected to label as “foreign agents.”
The team maintained that any faults had been fixed and that shutting down a well-known and respected organisation because of minor technical errors was excessive.
International Memorial said in a statement later Tuesday that it will appeal the decision and find legal means to continue its work. It went on to say that Russians required an honest reflection of their past, and that no one would be able to “liquidate” that need.