At a meeting of the Platform of European Memory and Conscience Council of Members in Prague on 12 November, the member organisations mandated the President and the Executive Board to prepare and issue a Platform statement on the current situation in Russia, where the state authorities are taking steps to close the international historical, educational, charitable and human rights organisation International Memorial (Международный Мемориал).
Statement of the Platform of European Memory and Conscience on the Russian International Memorial organisation
The Platform of European Memory and Conscience expresses its deepest concern regarding the new legal procedures initiated by Russian Federation authorities to liquidate the Memorial association. The Prosecutor General’s office and Moscow Prosecutor’s office filed a lawsuit requesting that International Memorial and Memorial Human Rights Centre be delegalized.
Memorial is known worldwide for its efforts to save the memory about victims of communist crimes and to protect human rights in contemporary Russia and other countries. Memorial has gathered a unique archive, published numerous books and online databases, and organised countless educational campaigns.
Their input into recovering forgotten histories of mass repression in the former Soviet Union is hard to overestimate.
The Platform of European Memory and Conscience calls on the European Parliament and European Commission to undertake action in order to protect Memorial. We call on all individuals and organisations involved with memory and remembrance to join an international campaign in defence of Memorial. Let us show solidarity with those who have done so much for all of us!
In Prague, 15 November, 2021