Overview
- Russia’s Supreme Court, which ruled Thursday after a closed-door hearing, designated Memorial an extremist organization and made any work with the group or sharing its materials a criminal offense.
- The court targeted what it called the “Memorial international public/civic movement,” a catchall label that Memorial says does not exist but that can be used to shut down any project bearing its name.
- Memorial’s Human Rights Center said it would stop all direct work inside Russia to protect staff and volunteers, and warned that supporters who donate or repost its findings now face prosecution and prison time.
- The Norwegian Nobel Committee condemned the move in advance, and the EU’s delegation in Moscow called the decision politically driven, with European diplomats attending the hearing in a show of support.
- The decision follows a steady escalation against the group since 2015, including a “foreign agent” tag, a 2021 dissolution order, and this year’s “undesirable” ruling on its international arm, pushing its documentation work to bases in Europe and chilling access for people inside Russia.