The Supreme Court has designated the Memorial movement as an extremist organisation.

The Supreme Court of Russia has designated the “International Public Movement ‘Memorial’” as an extremist organisation and banned its activities. This was reported by “Ostorozhno, novosti” (“Caution, News”).

The Russian Ministry of Justice filed the case to ban “Memorial.”

The Memorial Human Rights Centre commented that there is no organisation with the name stated in the claim.

“Usually the authorities start targeting members of any initiatives associated with the banned ‘movement.’ In other words, all Memorial organisations will be at risk,” human rights advocates suggest.

• In December 2021, Russian courts liquidated the Memorial Human Rights Centre and International Memorial. At that time, prosecutors accused the Memorial Human Rights Centre of supporting protests, spreading disinformation among citizens and creating a distorted view of the State through its list of political prisoners. “International Memorial” was accused of distorting historical memory and creating a “false image of the USSR.”
• In 2022, “Memorial,” together with the Ukrainian “Centre for Civil Liberties” and human rights defender from Belarus, Ales Bialiatski, received the Nobel Peace Prize.