Russia set to shut down rights group Memorial

It’s the latest legal effort to silence independent voices critical of President Vladimir Putin.

Vladimir Putin has used ‘foreign agent’ legislation to silence critics. Picture: AFP

Russian prosecutors are moving to shut the country’s most respected rights group, Memorial, in the latest legal effort to silence independent voices critical of President Vladimir Putin.

Memorial, founded in 1992 in Moscow, said it was notified by Russia’s supreme court on Thursday that prosecutors had filed a demand to dissolve the group over systematic violations of ­“foreign agent” legislation.

The group is among several ­investigative news outlets, journalists and rights organisations to have been hit with the label this year in what observers have ­described as a historic crackdown on independent organisations.

Memorial said there was “no legal basis” for the case, saying it had been accused of failing to identify itself publically as a designated foreign agent. “This is a ­political decision aimed at ­destroying the Memorial Society, an organisation dedicated to the history of political repression and the protection of human rights.”

A court hearing is scheduled for November 25 in Moscow.

A term with Soviet-era undertones, the status forces individuals or organisations to disclose sources of funding and label all their publications, including ­social media posts, with a tag or face fines.

AFP