Two years ago, on December 28, 2021, the Supreme Court of Russia declared the dissolution of the Memorial association, founded in 1987 to establish the historical truth about Soviet crimes and defend human rights in contemporary Russia. A year later, the NGO received the Nobel Peace Prize. Where is his fight, while the memory manipulations of Putin’s power continue to intensify, as Russian violence increases in Ukraine and towards opponents of the regime? Elements of response from the great historian of the USSR Nicolas Werth, honorary research director at the CNRS, one of whose first books, published in 1984, has just been republished under the title Communism in the village. Daily life of Russian peasants from revolution to collectivization (Les Belles Lettres, 496 pages, 15.50 euros). He is the president of Memorial France.
What remains of Memorial today?
Many officials had to go into exile to escape arrest. But some stayed. It must be understood that the structure of Memorial was complex, with many different branches. What was dissolved in December 2021 were two of its central structures, Memorial International and Memorial Droits de l’homme. Other entities have not been formally banned. However, police pressure is constant, and the activists remaining in Russia must increasingly take refuge in hiding, so much so that most of Memorial’s life is spent in exile.
This is what led to a reorganization of the association outside Russia, with the creation, in June, of a European NGO called Association Memorial International. Its board of directors met in Berlin at the beginning of December to definitively establish the statutes, objectives, etc. It is made up of three Russian branches still present in Russia, three Russian branches in exile and nine European branches, including Memorial France and the Ukrainian branch, the Kharkiv Human Rights Defense Group, whose main activity now consists of documenting Russian war crimes and crimes against humanity. His presence is very important. Showing our solidarity with Ukraine is a major political axis of the association.
What news do you have about activists targeted by Russian justice?
The most worrying situation is that of Yuri Dmitriev [historien et membre de Memorial], who has been detained since 2016 and was sentenced to fifteen years in 2022. The little news we have about him is not good. He is in a harsh regime penal colony in Mordovia. He is almost 70 years old. He is in poor health. There is no hope of early release.
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