Russia bans human rights group Memorial

Under Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, support for Memorial could become a punishable offense for thousands of people in Russia - in the worst case, retroactively. "This unprecedented step is intended to delegitimize and criminalize the entire Memorial network and all those who support it," said the exile organization Zukunft Memorial in Berlin. "The Putin regime fears the memory of the Soviet dictatorship and state terror. But this memory cannot be banned."

Questions and answers on the fate of the most important Russian non-governmental organization:

Why was Memorial so important for Russia?

The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, shared with prizewinners from Ukraine and Belarus, meant recognition for almost four decades of history and human rights work for Memorial. The organization was founded in 1989 in the late days of the Soviet Union; the nuclear physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov (1921-89) was one of its founding fathers.

Supported by many volunteers, Memorial investigated crimes of the Stalin era that had long been kept secret. It collected names and data on camp prisoners, set up archives, looked after survivors and helped relatives with research. Memorials were also built.

Books and educational work reached tens of thousands of people. Human rights experts from Memorial repeatedly denounced violations of the law by the Russian state - whether in the wars against the breakaway region of Chechnya or in political trials.

What does the verdict say about the situation in Russia?

The more authoritarian Putin rules, the less he allows a critical view of Russian history. He wants his Russia to appear as a great orthodox power without mistakes or crimes. Memorial was branded a so-called foreign agent back in 2016. In 2021, the central structures in Moscow were dissolved by a controversial court ruling and many employees were forced into exile.

Memorial co-founder Irina Scherbakowa calls the accusation of extremism an attack on critical historical work. The Gulag Museum in Moscow, which commemorated the Soviet camp system, has also been closed, says the current chairwoman of Zukunft Memorial in Berlin. Because of the war against Ukraine, Putin's leadership is trying to stifle any possible resistance in Russian society. "We can see that people have become afraid."

What is the threat to fellow Memorial campaigners in Russia?

Despite the repression, Memorial's work in Russia has not come to a complete standstill. There are regional circles. The "Last Address" campaign continued, which commemorates victims of political persecution - similar to the golden stumbling stones in Germany for Holocaust victims. Every year on October 30, the names of Stalin's victims were read out at the Solovetsky memorial stone directly in front of the Moscow secret service headquarters.

The new ban is directed against Memorial as a movement in a legally vague manner. This means that many activities can be considered extremist - similar to the Russian ban on an allegedly well-organized LGBT movement. The authorities have also classified the organizations of the Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, who was tortured to death in custody in 2024, as extremist. Navalny supporters are being punished for their previous involvement or donations. Even long-forgotten posts on social networks serve as evidence of extremism. The opposition continues to work in exile.

Memorial advises its supporters to remove the logo from social media profiles and not to repost any texts. They want to offer as little surface for attack as possible, says Scherbakowa. Which risk someone takes in future "will be the decision of each individual".

What will change for Memorial's work in exile?

In view of Memorial's expulsion from its home country, its work abroad is becoming all the more important; and the human rights activists are not about to give up. "We remain the voice of our organization," says Scherbakowa. The important archive with millions of documents has been largely digitized and published on the Internet, says Elena Zhemkova, Managing Director of Zukunft Memorial in Berlin. "This knowledge is accessible worldwide and can no longer be destroyed."

Even if the work in Russia becomes impossible, Memorial is not superfluous, according to the organization's press release. "On the contrary: it makes our task more urgent. Remembering is resistance - against historical myths and against a new legitimization of state aggression both internally and externally."