OVD-Info statement in Russian, German and Spanish.
It was reported on November 11 that the Moscow City Prosecutor’s Office had filed a lawsuit to liquidate the Memorial Human Rights Centre, and the Prosecutor General’s Office had demanded the closure of International Memorial. The reason cited is repeated violations of the legislation on «foreign agents».
The Human Rights Centre is also accused of justifying extremist and terrorist activities. These lawsuits are obviously politically motivated, and there are no real legal grounds for the Memorials’ closure.
International Memorial focuses its activity on the history of political persecutions in the USSR. In 1989, the Soviet Union got its own first registered independent civic organization — All-Union History and Education Society Memorial, under the chairmanship of Andrei Sakharov, a full member of the USSR Academy of Science. It was already in 1992 that International Memorial was officially founded.
Memorial has always not only dealt with history, but also fought against violations of human rights in contemporary Russia. In 1993, the Memorial Human Rights Centre was established. Over the last decades, the Human Rights Centre has focused on violations of human rights in Chechnya, migrant rights, support of political prisoners, defence of the rights of Russian citizens in the European Court of Human Rights; it has become one of the largest and most respected human rights organizations in the country.
The liquidation of International Memorial and HRC Memorial is not just a termination of the activities of these organizations that help thousands and tens of thousands of people. Memorial is, first and foremost, the symbol of Russian civil society, and this is exactly why there are attempts to destroy Memorial. This is an unambiguous message to the civil society as a whole and to all non-profit organizations.
OVD-Info will also be harmed by this decision. The Human Rights Centre is our long term partner with which we have had a lot of collaborative projects. In 2021, thanks to the infrastructural support of the HRC Memorial, we have responded to the tens of thousands of calls from detainees, helped about three thousand people that were held at police stations, defended applicants’ interests in 2874 administrative cases, and our lawyers are now engaged in 44 criminal cases. The liquidation of the Human Rights Centre will also endanger our ability to provide people with legal aid.
The claims from the Russian authorities that the «foreign agent» label created no hurdles to the work of civil society organizations now look like a mockery. Both Memorials are being accused of showing «a continuous disregard for the law», as they have not labeled twenty of their publications as distributed by a «foreign agent». That the punishment is completely unproportional to the crime shows once again that the sole purpose of the law on foreign agents is to suppress civil activity and destroy civil society organizations.
The situation that now exists around the Memorials is a new example of the evident harm that the law on «foreign agents» does to society and the state. This is why we insist that it should be repealed; until it is repealed, and until the way it has been enforced is comprehensively analysed and brought into compliance with the norms of Russian and international law, the implementation of this law should be completely stopped.
The society cannot let the Memorial become sacrificial lambs. We call on all people of goodwill to show solidarity and to take an active civic stance; we also ask all social and political initiatives to join their forces in supporting Memorial and in actively lobbying for the repeal of the legislation of «foreign agents».
What each of us can certainly do:
- Sign the petition calling to repeal the law on «foreign agents».
- Share the information on the persecution of the Memorials. We have always believed and continue to believe that information protects.
- Set up a minimum recurring donation for the Memorials. It might seem to you that it is unwise to support an organization that may be liquidated. But it is exactly this support that helps to live through the difficult periods and feel that you are not alone face to face with distress.
- Set up a recurring donation of one ruble in support of OVD-Info. The donations in our support go to a special account of the HRC Memorial, but even a symbolic one ruble will let us know that you stand with us. And even if something happens with the account, we will be able to quickly let you know what to do next.
- In addition, you can support us with cryptocurrency — this is currently the only way to help us that does not depend on everything that is going on right now.
More details in English see here (.pdf)