The human rights organization Memorial has been officially labeled as “extremist” in Russia. According to reports from several Russian media outlets, the Supreme Court of Russia banned all activities of Memorial within the country on Thursday. This ban also affects the organization’s subgroups.
Memorial was founded in the Soviet Union in 1989. Its primary areas of focus included analyzing the history of political oppression, advocating for human rights observance, and providing social care for survivors of the Soviet Gulags. Pressure from Russian authorities on Memorial has steadily increased, particularly since 2012. This culminated in the association being placed on the list of “foreign agents” in 2016.
At a later date, the dissolution of Memorial was ordered. Despite this, the organization received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. The recent court hearing concerning Memorial took place behind closed doors.
