Court shuts down human rights group
Memorial organization latest victim of Moscow’s crackdown on activists, independent media
Russia’s highest court on 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 international 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, 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.
“Of course, nothing is over with this,” Maria Eismont, one of the lawyers that represented the group in court, said after the ruling. “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 on 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 Pejc inovic 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 JeanYves Le Drian expressed “indignation and concern” at the shutdown of the NGO Memorial International, calling it “a terrible loss for the Russian people.”
On Tuesday, five associates of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny were taken into custody. A Moscow court this year outlawed Navalny’s organizations — the Foundation for Fighting Corruption and his countrywide network of regional offices — as extremist, exposing their staff members and supporters to prosecution.
Also on Tuesday, the human rights organization Civic Assistance Committee, which helps refugees, said the authorities were evicting it from an office in Moscow it had been allowed to occupy free of charge for years.
Memorial will live on with the people — because it’s the people behind it serving this great cause f,irst and foremost.
MARIA EISMONT LAWYER REPRESENTING MEMORIAL