The Office of the Prosecutor believes that the NGO, whose work extends from the protection of human rights to the study of the crimes of the Soviet regime, “violates the Constitution”.
Given the moral weight of the organization, in Russia and abroad, the new sounds like a thunderclap: the Attorney General of Russia asked, Thursday, November 11, the dissolution of the NGO Memorial, Lance and emblem of Russian civil society, whose work extends from the protection of human rights to the study of the crimes of the Soviet regime.
This is the NGO itself who expressed the news, believing that it was similar to “a political decision to annihilate memorial”. The document that has been transmitted to the Supreme Court evokes “systematic violations” of the Foreign Officer Act. In a statement released later, the Office of the Prosecutor believes that the work of the NGO “violates the Constitution”.
The law of 2012 on foreign agents became the most common instrument of pressure against Russian civil society and the independent media, requiring organizations or natural persons designated to submit to a number of binding obligations.
“We have always felt that this law was absurd and made to destroy civil society, but we have done our best to comply with it and be able to continue working,” says Alexandre Cherkassov, leader of the Rights branch. of the man of Memorial, who, however, recognizes failure: “We have provided all the reports that were requested and inscribed our status [” foreign agent “] on all our productions. But there were Errors concerning certain publications on social networks or on books. “
A signal sent by Russian power
Of the thirty fines received by Memorial since 2016, there are indeed such cases: in September 2020, the organization had been sanctioned for proposing at a books of old publications that do not contain any reference to his status. Another concerned an email sent by a memorial employee to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and incorrectly marked.
The Supreme Court must render its judgment on November 25th. “We do not lower the pavilion and we are counting on solidarity, says Cherkassov. The law is selectively applied in Russia, then we can only believe that this attack obeys purely legal considerations. It is an attempt to us. eliminate for all of our work. “
It’s hard to say whether solidarity, national and international, will influence the decision, but the fact is that the closure of memorial would be perceived as a magnitude event and a signal sent by Russian power. The Human Rights Council with the President, a moderate body in his criticism of the authorities, has already said his intention to make his voice heard.
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