Russia court ruling closes rights group
Move latest in crackdown on activists
MOSCOW — Russia’s highest court Tuesday shut down one of the country’s oldest and most prominent human rights organizations, the latest move in a relentless crackdown on rights activists, independent media and opposition supporters.
The Supreme Court’s ruling to close Memorial, an international human rights group that drew worldwide acclaim for its studies of political repression in the Soviet Union, sparked international outrage.
Memorial is made up of more than 50 smaller groups in Russia and abroad. It was declared a “foreign agent” in 2016 — a label that implies additional government scrutiny and carries strong pejorative connotations that can discredit the targeted organization. Prosecutors said the group repeatedly failed to identify itself as a foreign agent and tried to conceal the designation, with the accusations rejected by Memorial.
During the hearing, prosecutors also charged that Memorial “creates a false image of the USSR as a terrorist state,” a claim the group said revealed the authorities’ real motive.
“The Supreme Court’s ruling confirmed once again that the history of political terror organized and directed by the government isn’t an academic issue that is interesting only for experts, but an acute problem of today,” Memorial said in a statement. “Memorial embodies the Russian citizens’ need to know the truth about the country’s tragic path and the fate of millions. No one would be able to ‘liquidate’ that need.”
The group said it would appeal the verdict and pledged to continue its work.
“Of course, nothing is over with this,” said Maria Eismont, one of the lawyers who represented the group in court. “We will appeal, and Memorial will live on with the people — because it’s the people behind it serving this great cause first and foremost. The work will continue.”
A crowd that gathered in front of the courthouse Tuesday erupted into chants of “Disgrace!” in response to the ruling. Police detained several people who picketed the courthouse.
The Council of Europe’s Secretary General, Marija Pejcinovic Buric, described the move as “devastating news” and “a dark day for civil society in the Russian Federation.”
Amnesty International called Memorial’s closure “a blatant attack on civil society that seeks to blur the national memory of state repression” and “a grave insult to victims of the Russian Gulag.”
U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan deplored the court’s verdict as “a blatant and tragic attempt to suppress freedom of expression and erase history.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed “indignation and concern” at the shutdown of the nongovernmental organization Memorial International, calling it “a terrible loss for the Russian people.”
“This announcement is deeply worrying about the future of historical research and the defense of human rights in Russia,” he said in a statement.
Memorial’s sister organization, the Memorial Human Rights Center, is up for closure as well, with a court hearing today in Moscow City Court.
Russian authorities in recent months have ratcheted up pressure on rights groups, media outlets and individual journalists, naming dozens as foreign agents. Some were outlawed as “undesirable” and several were forced to shut down or disband to prevent further prosecution.