The so-called Supreme Court has labeled as extremists those who, for decades, have been restoring the historical truth about repression, once banned in Soviet times. It seems that today an era has returned in which memory and truth, and even the smallest aspiration for justice — even posthumous — are treated as crimes and punished almost on a par with mass murder, while the destruction of entire peoples, ruined cities, and the deaths of civilians are presented as a norm of statehood, originally built by kleptocrats and criminals, and now — also by war criminals.
Below are the details of the news.
The designation of “Memorial” as an “extremist organization” and the ban on its activities in Russia effectively criminalize human rights work. Commenting on the decision of the Russian authorities, Denis Krivosheev, Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at Amnesty International, stated that for nearly forty years Memorial has consistently documented both historical and ongoing repression, preserving the memory of millions of victims of human rights violations — from the Stalinist Gulag to abuses committed during conflicts in Chechnya, Georgia, and Ukraine, as well as the persecution of Kremlin critics and political opponents in today’s Russia.
According to Krivosheev, by declaring “Memorial” extremist, the authorities are striking not only at one of the oldest civil society organizations in Russia and the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, but also at the very idea of human rights activity. Even mentioning the organization without labeling it as “extremist,” as well as sharing its materials or expressing support on social media, may now lead to criminal prosecution. Amnesty International believes this decision aims to remove Memorial from the public sphere and erase its vast archive of human rights violations.
Human rights defenders have called on the Russian authorities to immediately revoke this decision and ensure that Memorial and other independent organizations can operate freely in accordance with Russia’s international human rights obligations.
According to available information, on April 9, 2026, in a closed session, the Supreme Court of Russia approved the Ministry of Justice’s request to recognize the “International Public Movement ‘Memorial’” — a term used by the authorities as a general label for all organizations associated with Memorial — as extremist and to ban its activities in the country. This decision is the culmination of years of pressure: since 2014, various entities and staff have been labeled “foreign agents,” in 2021 key organizations were dissolved, and in February 2026 affiliated international groups were declared “undesirable.”
Source: Amnesty International