The offices of human rights group Memorial have been raided by Russian authorities, the organization announced on social media Wednesday.
The organization faces allegations of working as an undeclared "foreign agent," a Soviet-era label given to non-governmental organizations which receive funding from abroad. All "foreign agents" must identify themselves as such in all their publications under Russian law.
“An unplanned search of the Memorial human rights organization took place on Sept. 5," a statement on the group's Facebook page read. "The Ministry of Justice is undertaking the search under orders from the General Prosecutor's office to 'detect signs that the organization is acting as a foreign agent.'”
The group has so far submitted 31, 250 pages of documents, including bank statements and a list of publications, to prove its innocence, the statement said. The results of the search will be announced before Sept. 30.
Memorial's director Arseniy Roginskiy
said that if his organization was labeled as a foreign agent, the group would
go to court to fight the ruling.
Russia's Justice Ministry added the country's only independent pollster, the Moscow-based Levada Centre, to its list of “foreign agents” earlier this week.
The move has been linked by some critics to the upcoming parliamentary elections for Russia's State Duma, which are set take place on Sept. 18.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
