OVD-Info

11 April 2026

by OVD-Info

Source: OVD-Info

Today we want to discuss alarming news about one of the oldest and most important human rights organisations in Russia – Memorial. On 9 April, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation declared the non-existent ‘international society named Memorial’ an extremist organisation.

This decision was made in a closed and ‘top secret’ session, and signals the beginning of a new era of Russian state efforts to erase the memory of political repressions of past and present. The consequences of this decision could affect thousands of people – maybe even yourself. We have therefore prepared a ‘kit’ to support you.

What is does Memorial do and why is it important? 

Most people associate Memorial with the study of political repression in the USSR, but the network of organisations has been active for more than 30 years not just in preserving historical memory, but in important human rights protection work from saving hostages to supporting refugees.  

Over decades, Memorial has accumulated a unique database of more than three million names of victims of repression, initiated the Return the Names campaign (where names of victims were read out in public) and established an archive, a library and a museum. Memorial has supported political prisoners and worked in military conflicts, sometimes for years, in Chechnya. In 2022,  Memorial was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 

The International Memorial Society for Historical Education, Philanthropy and the Protection of Human Rights, and the Memorial Human Rights Centre have not legally existed since the end of 2021 when the Prosecutor General of Russia ordered their liquidation for ‘repeated violations’ of Russian legislation surrounding the work of ‘foreign agents’. Memorial continues its work through a network of independent organisations and initiatives bound by common values and missions. These include: 

• The International Memorial Association, (declared an ‘undesirable organisation’ in the Russian Federation);
• The Memorial Rights Protection Centre; 
• The Memorial Centre for Supporting Political Prisoners;
• Memorial Human Rights Centre and others. 

Despite their legal status as entirely separate associations, all of these groups are now under threat of prosecution. 

Why is the extremist organisation label dangerous? 

‘Extremist organisation’ is an extremely damaging label criminalising any associations with an organisation so designated.  

It is important to note that the ‘International Memorial Society’ subject to this decision does not exist in law, neither is it registered, in Russia or other countries. The Supreme Court verdict references ‘structural suborganisations’ (which organisations this refers to is not yet known), but it is very likely these suborganisations are currently existing ones. Therefore, the International Memorial Society is being used to ban all, or many, organisations in a single stroke. This will allow the prosecution of almost anyone with any links to any of them. 

The Head of the Legal Department of the Memorial Human Rights Centre, Natalia Sekretareva, commented concisely: 

“They are likely to prosecute few, but intimidate many.”

What risk does this label pose to donors and supporters? 

Being declared an extremist organisation poses serious risks for everyone who has ever supported Memorial, or who currently does this. 

Here is a list of what you can and mustn’t do in light of this new status:

If you live, or are located in Russia:

Do NOT:

• Donate to any organisations or fundraising campaigns that carry the Memorial label (we named them above), or transfer money anyone associated with Memorial;
• Re-post, comment on or like posts from Memorial on social media;
• Post anything on social media with Memorial–related insignia such as the Memorial logo;
• Post links to any Memorial content in anything you write or post online;
• Search online for websites or networks belonging to, or literature written by Memorial organisations in your search engines or create bookmarks for them in your browser.

If you have ever done any of these things before – please make every effort to delete it. Remove all re-posts and insignia related to Memorial from you’re your social media, delete comments from Memorial on your public profile, cancel repeat donations to them and remove any posts on social media which reference transfers previously made. 

• Un-subscribe from Memorial mailing lists;
• Un-subscribe from social media sites belonging to Memorial organisations, (the subscription alone can attract the attention of the authorities).

DO

• Read their website and social media without subscribing, you can keep direct links to all of their resources and go to them at any time.

If you are outside Russia and never travel there:

Theoretically the risks of prosecution also apply to those outside Russia. For example, a re-post can be punished by an administrative charge, and a donation with a criminal charge. If you are not ready to face this, follow the recommendations written above. 

If such risks do not bother you, carry on as normal:

• You can keep subscriptions and continue liking posts and sharing publications;
• You can keep donating, but only from non-Russian bank cards. We recommend only donating with cards from banks in countries that don’t share financial information with Russia. 

OVD-Info’s position

All of us at OVD-Info proclaim: Memorial is not extremist. This extremist designation is just another attack on civil society in Russia. Memorial has always inspired, and continues to inspire us and other human rights groups. We are certain that this decision is an effort to erase the names of the victims of political repression and to intimidate those brave enough to speak the truth. Legislative vagueness on this issue helps the authorities because people become fearful of everything that is connected to human rights protection in any way. We express our unconditional support for our colleagues. The whole of our announcement on this issue can be read on this link. 

We admire everyone who continues to struggle for human rights and to preserve historical memory. Please, take care of yourselves. 

In solidarity, 

The OVD-Info Team   

Translated by Oscar Seecharan