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Alexander Cherkasov, board chairman of the Memorial Human Rights Centre Alamy Stock Photo

'An attack on civil society': Court shuts down another human rights group in Russia

Russian authorities have in recent months mounted pressure on rights groups, media outlets and journalists, naming dozens as foreign agents.

A COURT IN Moscow has granted a request to shut down another prominent human rights organisation amid a sweeping crackdown on Russian rights groups, independent media and opposition supporters.

The Moscow City Court’s decision to shut down the Memorial Human Rights Centre came a day after Russia’s Supreme Court revoked the legal status of its sister organisation Memorial, a human rights group that drew international acclaim for its studies of political repression in the Soviet Union.

Russian authorities previously declared both organisations as “foreign agents” – a designation that brings additional government scrutiny and carries strong pejorative connotations.

Prosecutors petitioned to shut down the groups last month, arguing they had repeatedly violated regulations obliging them to identify themselves as foreign agents in all content they produce.

“We’ve been saying from the start that the ‘foreign agents’ law – and I’m doing the air quotations again – is not lawful, and it’s not to be amended but only abolished because it was designed with the aim of strangling civil society. Today, we received another proof of that,” Alexander Cherkasov, board chairman of the Memorial Human Rights Centre, said.

The rulings to close them drew widespread public outrage, with crowds of supporters showing up at courthouses on Tuesday and Wednesday despite freezing weather.

moscow-russia-29th-dec-2021-alexander-cherkasov-c-chairman-of-the-council-at-the-memorial-human-rights-center-talks-to-journalists-outside-the-moscow-city-court-that-continues-to-hear-a-lawsui Alexander Cherkasov (centre) talks to journalists outside Moscow City Court today. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Both Memorial organisations promised to appeal against the rulings revoking their legal status.

In a statement on Tuesday, Memorial vowed to “find legitimate ways to continue our work”.

Several top US and European officials condemned Tuesday’s decision to shut down Memorial as an attack on Russia’s civil society.

Amnesty International called Wednesday’s ruling to close the Memorial Human Rights Centre “yet another blow to Russia’s civil society movement after years of relentless attacks”.

‘Undesirable’ groups

Russian authorities have in recent months mounted pressure on rights groups, media outlets and individual journalists, naming dozens as foreign agents.

Some were declared “undesirable” – a label that outlaws organisations in Russia – or were accused of links to “undesirable” groups, and several were forced to shut down or disband themselves to prevent further prosecution.

On Saturday, the authorities blocked the website of OVD-Info – a prominent legal aid group that focuses on political arrests – and urged social media platforms to take down its accounts after a court ruled that the website contained materials that “justify actions of extremist and terrorist groups”.

The group rejected the charges as politically driven.

Moscow city authorities served another prominent human rights group with an eviction notice on Tuesday.

The Civic Assistance Committee, which assists refugees and migrants in Russia, said officials handed the organisation a document voiding the agreement allowing the use of the space without compensation and ordered it to leave within a month.

“The Civic Assistance will be fighting (this),” the organisation’s chair Svetlana Gannushkina said.

A number of Russian non-governmental organisations switched to operating as informal entities in recent years to avoid being affected by restrictive laws.

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    Mute Rursmcsturs
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    May 17th 2022, 7:34 AM

    Testing times for the HSE, sort it out!

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    Mute John O Connor
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    May 17th 2022, 8:23 AM

    @Rursmcsturs: how

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    Mute chiqey
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    May 17th 2022, 9:08 AM

    @John O Connor: paying the workers properly might help

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    Mute Ci
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    May 17th 2022, 4:24 PM

    Best of luck with the strike ,totally deserve parity and better working conditions

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    Mute Mary O Dwyer
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    May 17th 2022, 10:05 PM

    I fully support equal pay if the expertise is on a par but why should patients pay they have paid with their lives in cases due to delayed care in getting a diagnosis during the past two years of covid . Bloods tell a lot and tomorrow patients suffer yet again . Really not professional and using the sick as bargaining tools . Nurses and front line staff didn’t strike during covid when they were over worked and underpaid and literally risked their lives pre vaccine and pre ffp2 masks . This is not the time as the system tries to catch up in treating the lately diagnosed . I loose sympathy when patients who the lab staff get paid to care for don’t care . Strike is not acceptable in a pandemic catch up phase

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    Mute Paul Owens
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    May 17th 2022, 10:14 PM

    @Mary O Dwyer: Listen darling the expertise is not only on a par but the medical scientists do most of the work,they have been getting hammered for the last 20 years ,work load,pay, everything.They kept all the PCR testing going during covid when everyone relied on them and I mean everyone in all our society.You should not be making comments you are clueless about so if u get time try and make your way back to planet earth!!

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    Mute Jj
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    May 17th 2022, 11:11 PM

    @Mary O Dwyer: when would a good time be? When the service is destroyed altogether by the loss of more staff that are not been treated equally in the workplace? If all other channels have been exhausted what other choice is there? What happened when penny pinching of this vital service a decision was made to send cervical services to America ? Penny pinching here again and not respecting this highly educated workforce will lead to huge quality issues down the line with more highly trained staff leaving. Enhancing and supporting a dedicated workforce is what a forward thinking government should be doing. The area of advanced medical diagnostics which Ireland has ambitions to be a leader in needs to be invested in and highly trained scientist at a minimum should be treated equally

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    Mute Laura Halfitz
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    May 18th 2022, 7:00 AM

    @Mary O Dwyer: When do you suggest we take action? When the service collapses?
    We purposely didn’t take action during the height of the pandemic due to the affect it would’ve had on the country.

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