Milano, 9 Apr. (askanews) – The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation will proceed to examine the request with which the Ministry of Justice asks to declare the “international Memorial movement” an extremist organization – with immediate effect. There is no organization with that name, Memorial itself points out, however, knowing the “repressive practices of the Putin regime” the “defendant” was indicated in a vague and vague way not out of negligence, but with full awareness. “This will create the conditions for future repression against any organization containing the name Memorial, as well as against their members and supporters,” they specified.
The accusation of “extremism” is now a consolidated practice of the Russian authorities to repress civil initiatives, political, cultural and social unwelcome to the regime. It is difficult to think of something more absurd than an accusation of extremism leveled at Memorial, a world-famous association that received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 for its work. For almost forty years Memorial has been investigating and studying the history of Soviet state terror and political persecution, opposing inter-ethnic, religious and social hatred and defending human rights and freedoms. The file against the “Memorial movement” is classified as “top secret”. The trial will take place behind closed doors.
Between November and December 2025, some Memorial associations active abroad, including Memorial Ukraine, were declared “unwanted”the same fate befell the heir of International Memorial, the “International Memorial Association”, founded in Geneva in May 2023. After this measure, which led to criminal consequences and long prison sentences for anyone dealing in Russia with the sections of Memorial declared unwanted, now comes the request for “extremism”, which will most likely lead to the forced closure of all sections of Memorial, the requisition of the archives and the criminal persecution of its exponents, effectively eliminating Memorial in Russia. The provision in the past has affected other movements such as the LGBT movement and the late Aleksey Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Fund.
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