Moscow City Court liquidated the human rights center “Memorial” for violation of the law on foreign agents
Photo: Alexander Kazakov / Kommersant
The Moscow City Court liquidated the human rights center “Memorial” ( included by the Ministry of Justice in the register of organizations performing the functions of a foreign agent ) after a corresponding claim from the Prosecutor General's Office. RIA Novosti reports.
At the trial, representatives of the prosecutor's office stated that the human rights center was funded by foreign sources, including from states, pointing out that the financial statements of Memorial did not contain complete information about the organization's income and expenses. According to the prosecution, the human rights center participated in all protest movements, “supported all protests aimed at destabilizing the country.”
Liquidation is a proportionate measure in order to respect the rights of citizens and the interests of the Russian Federation
representative of the prosecutor's office
In response, the head of the Council of the Human Rights Center, Alexander Cherkasov, said that these actions were “an attempt to deprive citizens of access to important information.”
On December 23, a representative of the Moscow prosecutor's office said that the distribution of materials from the human rights center “Memorial” could lead to a “depressive state” among those who read them. At the same time, he said that data with examples of such cases were not attached to the case materials. The prosecutor added that the materials may have a negative impact on the spiritual and moral development of minors.
Memorial received a notice of the claim on November 11. According to the department, the reason for the claim was a systematic violation of the law on foreign agents. The organization called the situation “a political decision to destroy it.”
The International Society “Memorial” was founded in 1989, its goal – the study of political repression in the USSR. At the moment, it unites a number of regional and foreign organizations engaged in human rights, educational and research activities. In 2016, the Ministry of Justice entered the center into the register of organizations performing the functions of foreign agents. According to the law on foreign agents, organizations included in the register must make special notes on all published materials.
On December 28, the Supreme Court liquidated the international “Memorial”
During the trial, the representative of the prosecutor's office, Aleksey Zhafyarov, indicated that the society speculates on the topic of repression and is engaged in the rehabilitation of Nazi criminals, because “someone pays for this” – for this reason, according to him, “Memorial” vehemently denies the status of a foreign agent.
The West criticized the decision to liquidate Memorial
State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington condemns the ruling. The German Foreign Ministry reported that the court's decision “is more than incomprehensible and contradicts international obligations in the field of protecting fundamental civil rights.”
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgar Rinkevich said that he was outraged by the decision of the Supreme Court of Russia. In Russian, he threatened Moscow with God's judgment with the words of the poet Mikhail Lermontov.
The decision to liquidate Memorial was also condemned by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Maria Pejcinovic-Buric.
First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Dmitry Polyansky, in turn, said that Moscow sees no reason why the situation with human rights in the country should be discussed in the organization. At the same time, he added that the Russian side is not afraid of such discussions.
We have nothing to fear and be ashamed of, because everything we do in this regard, we do for the good of our country and our people.
Polyansky added that he could not comment on the situation around Memorial, as he did not know all the details.
The liquidation of Memorial took place despite the support of the Nobel laureates and the world community
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and Novaya Gazeta editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov opposed the liquidation. They pointed out that for many years Memorial had been engaged in restoring historical justice and preserving the memory of those killed and injured during the repressions, and the continuation of its work was in the interests of the country.
The Council of Europe called for the abolition of the law on foreign agents in Russia. According to the head of the Council of Europe Commission Dunja Mijatovic, the center was accused of acquitting extremists and terrorists because of its activities to support political prisoners. She called Memorial a symbol of the struggle for freedom, democracy and human rights in the post-Soviet space and beyond, noting that its elimination would negatively affect the protection of human rights in Russia.
The European Parliament called for the immediate withdrawal of all charges against Memorial and guarantees that the organization's safe work will continue without government interference. The resolution also contains an appeal addressed to the head of the European Union's foreign policy, Josep Borell, to impose sanctions on Russians involved in legal proceedings against Memorial and its members. 569 people voted for the document, 46 against, 49 more abstained.
