Today, 9 April, Russian authorities intend to designate the so-called “International Memorial Movement” — an entity that does not formally exist — as an extremist organisation. This marks a new stage in the systematic dismantling of one of the country’s most important civil society initiatives and an attack on historical memory itself. Memorial Human Rights Center Memorial was labelled as “foreign agent”, and International Memorial was declared as “undesirable”. Both were forcibly liquidated in 2021, after an exhausting court process in Moscow. It is evident that this court case is designed to enable the prosecution of any Russian citizen who has supported, and continues to support, Memorial’s work.
The move to label Memorial as extremist also fits into a broader pattern in today’s Russia: the revival of Stalin-era narratives, the reinstallation of monuments to Joseph Stalin, the closure of institutions such as the Gulag History Museum, and the removal of memorials dedicated to victims of repression.
Memorial is one of Russia’s oldest and most respected networks of human rights organisations. Founded in the late Soviet period, it has documented political repression and preserved the memory of victims of state terror. Its work has been vital in uncovering Soviet-era crimes, including investigations at sites such as Sandarmokh, where thousands of victims of Stalin’s purges are buried. The persecution of Memorial has been ongoing for years.
The Human Rights Center Memorial has been operating in the North Caucasus, documenting human rights abuses in both Chechen wars at the end of the 90s, beginning of 2000. Natalia Estemirova, the head of Memorial in Chechnya, who documented human rights abuses, was abducted and killed in 2009. Our colleagues from Memorial, Oleg Orlov, a prominent figure in the organisation, has been imprisoned several times, among others, because he demanded the Russian authorities follow the country’s Constitution and for his outspoken opposition to the Russian war in Ukraine. Yuri Dmitriev,the head of Memorial in Karelia, has also been imprisoned in a fabricated case linked to his work at Sandarmokh and his efforts to preserve historical memory.
In recognition of its decades-long commitment to human rights and historical truth, Memorial was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.