Oleg Orlov (second from right), chairman of the Memorial human rights group, is cuffed and led away by police from a court in Moscow in February 2024 after being sentenced to 30 months in prison for “repeatedly discrediting the Russian army.” File Photo by Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA
Russia’s Supreme Court ruled to allow human rights group Memorial, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, to be labeled as an “extremist organization.”
The court’s Thursday ruling, which followed closed-door hearings, is immediately enforceable, allowing authorities to prosecute anyone who works for, volunteers with or shares materials published by Memorial.
“The court hereby rules that the legal claims on recognizing the Memorial International Public Movement as an extremist organization should be satisfied and its activities on Russian soil should be banned,” the court said in a statement reviewed by Russia’s state-run news agency TASS.
Memorial was founded in Moscow in 1992, and has been dedicated to documenting human rights violations in the Soviet Union, particularly under the tenure of Josef Stalin. The group was listed as a foreign agent organization in 2016, and in December 2021, it was ordered closed by the Moscow City Court for purported violations of rules governing foreign agents.
Oleg Orlov, chairman of Memorial, was jailed for 30 months in February 2024 after accusing Russia of “mass murder” in Ukraine and writing that his country was once again a “totalitarian” state.
Memorial responded to the latest ruling in a statement posted online.
“This unlawful decision marks a new stage of political pressure on Russian civil society,” the statement said.
“As of today, the Memorial Human Rights Defense Center is ceasing all activities directly within Russia. We have no employees, members, or volunteers in Russia. We do not accept donations from Russian bank cards, as this could put our donors at risk. Outside of Putin’s Russia, the Memorial Human Rights Defense Center will continue its work, regardless of any repressive decisions by Russian state authorities,” officials wrote.
Memorial was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, alongside Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties and Ales Byalyatski, founder of the Belarusian human rights group Viasna.
“The Norwegian Nobel Committee is deeply alarmed by the Russian authorities’ latest attempt to destroy Memorial,” the Nobel Committee said in a statement prior to the Supreme Court’s decision.
Historic April moments through the years
Children race to push colored eggs across the grass during the annual Easter Egg Roll event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on April 21, 2025. Easter this year takes place on April 5. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo
