The Nobel Peace Prize-winning NGO Memorial has published on Wednesday a series of photographs showing the disorder caused by the latest searches carried out by the authorities at its headquarters in Moscow, which have already been condemned by NGOs such as Amnesty International (AI).
»We still don’t know exactly what they took out of the office, because the lawyers were not allowed to search the office,» he has denounced on his official Telegram profile, adding that they do have evidence of the seizure of all their computers.
The day before, Russian police also raided the homes of at least ten employees and their relatives, including historian Nikita Petrov and Ian Rachinski, chairman of Memorial’s board of directors. The operation resulted in confiscated equipment and items bearing the NGO’s logo.
Other prominent members such as Oleg Orlov was released on bail the day before after being interrogated and facing criminal proceedings for »discrediting the Russian Army», the Intefax news agency reported.
According to court orders, the searches are being carried out in response to an investigation opened in early March against members of the organization for »rehabilitation of Nazism,» alleging that Memorial’s ranks include members who collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.
In this regard, Amnesty International (AI) said Wednesday in a statement that the Russian authorities »continue their witch hunt against activists and human rights defenders», claiming that these facts are »absurd».
The Kremlin must urgently end its shameful crackdown on activists and those working to ensure that Joseph Stalin’s brutality is remembered. The work done by Memorial to document the past, educate youth and commemorate the history of political repression needs to continue,» said AI’s Russia director Natalia Zviaguina.
She also stated that the Russian authorities perceive the work of the NGO as »a threat to their power» to defend human rights »in an increasingly repressive Russia» in the context of the war in Ukraine.
For its part, the Norwegian Committee that awards the Nobel Peace Prize each year, has echoed the arrests and raids on its official Twitter profile, recalling the arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the forced deportation of Ukrainian children in the framework of the Ukrainian war.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)