Human rights defenders show consequences of search in “Memorial”* office

Law enforcers scattered papers and furniture and seized personal computers during a search carried out in an office of the Human Rights Centre “Memorial”* located on Maly Karetny Lane. No advocates were allowed to attend the procedure of the search, so it is still unknown what exactly has been seized, human rights defenders emphasize.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on March 21, employees of the Human Rights Protection Centre “Memorial”, as well as the liquidated “International Memorial”* and the Human Rights Centre (HRC) “Memorial”* have been detained after searches in the case on the rehabilitation of Nazism. Oleg Orlov, the co-chair of the Human Rights Protection Centre “Memorial”, who was among the detainees, has been prosecuted for the repeated discrediting of the Russian Armed Forces. The human rights defender has been released on bail. In addition, during the searches carried out in the office of the Human Rights Protection Centre “Memorial”, a female employee of the “Caucasian Knot” was detained.

The Human Rights Protection Centre “Memorial” reported in its Telegram channel that during the searches carried out in the building in Maly Karetny Lane, where the office of the HRC “Memorial”* is located, law enforcers seized computers and also “turned everything upside down.” No advocates were allowed to attend the procedure of the search, and only an officer on duty and a female employee of the “Caucasian Knot” were staying in the building. The law enforcers also drank vodka, which they found in the building.

Natalia Sekretaryova, the head of the legal department of the Human Rights Protection Centre “Memorial”, noted that the reason for the prosecution under the article on the rehabilitation of Nazism was three names in the database of victims of political repressions, which was run by the “International Memorial”* before the court’s decision on its liquidation: those three persons had been convicted for treason.

*The organization was included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in the register of NCOs, performing the functions of a foreign agent, and was liquidated by a court’s decision.