OSCE/ODIHR Director Link welcomes Supreme Court rejection of request to close Memorial human rights group, calls for halt to attempt to brand as “foreign agent”

WARSAW, 28 January 2014 – Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), welcomed today’s rejection by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of a Justice Ministry request for the closure of the human rights group Memorial.

“The Court should be commended for preventing the closure of Memorial, one of Russia’s and Europe’s most respected human rights groups,” Link said. “Memorial’s contribution to recording and publicizing the totalitarian crimes of the Soviet state, along with its work to monitor the respect for human rights in Russia today, are invaluable.”

“The Ministry’s attempt to close Memorial, along with earlier attempts by prosecutors to have the group registered as a ‘foreign agent’, are cause for serious concern, given the commitments the Russian government has made to protecting and promoting fundamental freedoms, including of association and expression,” Link said. “Memorial and groups like it must be free to perform their vital role in helping safeguard these rights. I sincerely hope that Memorial’s own legal battle against an official move to brand the group a ‘foreign agent’ by the Justice Ministry will be successful.”

The Justice Ministry filed its complaint against Memorial in October, requesting the NGO be closed based on questions related to its charter and other technical grounds. Despite confirming at today’s hearing that the alleged infractions had been corrected, the Ministry did not withdraw the request. The decision on the qualification of Memorial as a “foreign agent” is due mid-February.