The decision was expected and scrutinized internationally. The Russian Supreme Court announced, Tuesday, December 28, the liquidation of the Memorial NGO, a real pillar of civil society.
“The decision is to liquidate the International Memorial and its regional branches”, thus itself announced the NGO on its Telegram account, a few seconds after the Supreme Court began the announcement of its decision.
The Russian Attorney General in mid-November called for the disbandment of the group, whose work ranges from protecting human rights to investigating the crimes of the Soviet regime. The document sent to the Supreme Court then referred to “Systematic violations” of the law on foreign agents. In a statement released later, the prosecutor’s office considered that the work of the NGO “Rape[ait] the Constitution “.
The lawsuits were seen as a new level in the crackdown on critical voices of President Vladimir Putin. The 2012 Law on Foreign Agents has become the most common instrument of pressure against Russian civil society and independent media, forcing organizations or designated individuals to comply with a number of binding obligations. .