The Memorial Human Rights Center, one of the branches of the International Memorial, fights for the rights of political prisoners, migrants and other neglected groups and draws public attention to abuses, especially in the North Caucasus.
Judge Mikhail Kazakov decided to satisfy the prosecutor’s request to close the center, accusing him of violating the law on “foreign agents” and “justifying terrorism and extremism.”
Diplomats from the United States and several European countries were present at the court hearing on Wednesday. Following the announcement of the court’s decision, a video was published on social media showing the crowd protesting against the decision.
The court’s decision has earned international condemnation. The United States, Germany, France, the European Union and the UN Office of Human Rights have opposed the forced closure of the organization.
“The memorial trial shows once again that repression against civil society in Russia continues to grow,” said Wolfgang Bühner, a spokesman for the German government.
Proponents of the memorial point out that the closure of the human rights organization 30 years after the collapse of the USSR marks the end of Russia’s democratization process.
The International Memorial maintains an extensive archive in Moscow. The organization has spent many years compiling the crimes of the communist regime and commemorating the victims of the communist concentration camps in the so-called Gulag.
“Of course, this will have far-reaching consequences for Russian civil society, as it is a clear signal that there will be further repression. The “memorial” here is like litmus paper. But it is also a very clear signal to the international community, “said Natalia Priukstaja, a spokeswoman for Amnesty International.
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