In the latest move in a relentless crackdown on rights activists, independent media and opposition supporters, Russia’s highest court on Tuesday shut down one of the country’s oldest and most prominent human rights organizations .
The Supreme Court’s ruling to close Memorial, an international human rights group that drew international acclaim for its studies of political repression in the Soviet Union, sparked international outrage.
Memorial is made up of more than 50 smaller groups in Russia and abroad. It was declared a “foreign agent” in 2016 , a label that implies additional government scrutiny and carries strong pejorative connotations that can discredit the targeted organization.
Prosecutors said the group repeatedly failed to identify itself as a foreign agent and tried to conceal the designation, the accusations rejected by Memorial.
During the hearing, prosecutors also charged that Memorial creates a false image of the USSR as a terrorist state, a claim the group said revealed the authorities’ real motive.
