The last few years have been hard for the Russian NGO Memorial. The latest blast has been blamed on the organization’s vice president, Oleg Orlov, who faces charges of discrediting the army for a 2022 Facebook post that linked to an article titled “They wanted fascism.” The text, which was translated into French by a media outlet, ends with the assertion that fascism was achieved. On the same day, security forces in Russia searched the homes and offices of Memorial members, arguing that the group was involved in efforts to correct Nazism. The prosecutors say such actions could carry up to five years in prison under Russian law. Memorial states that police visits occurred on at least eight occasions, targeting members, a relative, and two former offices.
Memorial’s situation is not unique. Authorities have repeatedly cracked down on NGOs since 2008, seizing digital files and labeling groups as foreign agents. In 2016 Memorial was officially designated a foreign agent, and in 2021 the organization faced its most challenging year, with the risk of being dissolved and erased as a legal entity registered with the Russian government by an order from the same authorities. In 2022 Memorial received the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties. On the same day that prize news was announced, Russian police again shut down or restricted Memorial’s offices. Such actions have been widely criticized by NGOs and independent media, which say that many groups labeled as foreign agents or extremist organizations or otherwise deemed unwanted have been pushed out of the country.
Stalin’s crimes and legacy
A longtime member and advocate of the organization has spent years highlighting the victims of Stalinist repression from the 1930s and helping restore their honor. Memorial has sought to uncover the crimes of Stalinism and to document human rights abuses across post-Soviet Russia and its former Soviet states, including Kazakhstan and Ukraine. While the legacy of Joseph Stalin remains a delicate topic, the current Russian leadership has avoided open condemnation of the leader and, in some cases, allowed public glorification, with supporters paying homage on dates approved by authorities. Memorial’s work has stood as a counterpoint to such trends, reminding society of the scars left by that era.
Memorial was founded in 1989, during the opening period of perestroika. It has persisted through years of state pressure and political shifts in Russia, continuing to document and support victims of repression from the Great Terror and other abuses across the empire. Its network has also documented the human costs of the Chechen conflicts in the 1990s and subsequent years, keeping alive the memory of those who suffered as a result of state violence and political repression. The organization’s efforts have remained focused on preserving historical memory while advocating for human rights in a challenging environment. [citation needed]