Press release

Prague, 12 March 2015

The Platform of European Memory and Conscience condemns yesterday's court verdict placing the Human Rights Center of Memorial on the list of so-­‐ called foreign agents. The aim of the regime is clearly to hinder the work of the well-­‐known and highly respected human rights organisation in Russia.

For the past 25 years, the Human Rights Centre of Memorial has been monitoring and exposing cases of serious violations of human rights in Russia. Based on yesterday's ruling, the organisation is to join the list of about 40 respectable non-­‐governmental organisations which are being subjected to harassment by authorities. „This is another example of the unpredictable and retrospective application of the foreign agents law in Russia”, says Mr Kirill Koroteev, lawyer of Memorial's Human Rights Centre. „There can be no trust in the Russian administrative and judicial systems”.

„Targeting the prestigious human rights organisation comes hand in hand with the deterioration of democracy in Russia and the rise of authoritarian rule. While it is persecuting memory and human rights organisations under ridiculous pretexts at home, the Russian regime is in fact acting as a „foreign agent” in many countries abroad”, warns Platform President Göran Lindblad.

For more information, please contact:
 
Göran Lindblad, President
president@memoryandconscience.eu
+46-­706710366

Neela Winkelmann, Managing Director
director@memoryandconscience.eu
+420-­222 561 053