UN Human Rights Council Member Russia, Human Rights Organizations Closed My Way

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Russia has issued a dissolution order against 'Memorial,' the oldest human rights organization in the country. This move by Russia, which was elected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) last year and had been raising its voice, is expected to draw even stronger condemnation from the international community.

According to major foreign media including The Guardian on the 28th (local time), the Russian Supreme Court accepted the prosecution's claims in the ruling trial on the case to revoke Memorial's legal status and ordered the dissolution of the organization. However, the court did not disclose the reasons for the ruling.

Previously, the Russian government designated Memorial as a 'foreign agent,' a term commonly used for dissidents or organizations, in 2016 and has been conducting detailed investigations into the organization's activities.

During the trial, the Russian prosecution claimed, "Memorial created a false image of the Soviet Union as a terrorist state and rehabilitated Nazi criminals."

They also accused Memorial of repeatedly violating regulations requiring disclosure of its status as an organization representing foreign forces and of hiding the fact that it was designated as a foreign agent.

Memorial's lawyer expressed the intention to appeal, stating, "Of course, nothing is over." Memorial is a human rights organization internationally renowned for its investigation and research into political persecution during the former Soviet era and currently operates 50 affiliated organizations both inside and outside Russia.

Oleg Orlov, a director of Memorial, condemned the decision, saying, "This is an ideological ruling, blatant and illegal."

Amnesty International also issued a statement condemning, "The closure of Memorial is a direct attack on freedom of expression and association," and criticized, "Russian authorities are dissolving the organization under the pretext of the foreign agent law."

Recently, Russian authorities have been pressuring human rights organizations and journalists supporting Alexei Navalny, a political opponent of President Vladimir Putin, by designating them as foreign agents.

Meanwhile, last year, the United Nations elected five countries, including Russia and China, which international human rights organizations had identified as unsuitable, as members of the Human Rights Council, taking advantage of the vacuum left by the United States.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.