Support The Moscow Times!

Memorial Human Rights Group Forced to Leave St. Petersburg HQ

Wikimedia Commons

The Memorial advocacy group must leave its longtime St. Petersburg headquarters after housing authorities decided not to renew its lease, the latest legal action by Russian authorities against the embattled human rights activists.

Memorial documents Soviet human rights abuses and assists victims in the North Caucasus and other areas. Two high-ranking Memorial staff members are facing charges that supporters argue are politically motivated, while the organization’s offices in the North Caucasus have been torched by arsonists.  

Housing authorities in St. Petersburg are not renewing Memorial’s lease in the office it has occupied since 1997, local opposition politician Boris Vishnevsky told the Fontanka.ru news website.

The group reportedly asked the administration’s property management committee to extend its lease, which expired in January, but the request was rejected.

“Simply put, they were told: ‘kindly leave the property and head to the street’,” Vishnevsky was quoted as saying.

He also said that Memorial paid rent on time, did not the damage property and never violated the terms of its rental agreement.

“One can only guess” why they were evicted, Vishnevsky said.

Memorial has three months to vacate its offices of 21 years, housing committee officials told the RBC news website.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

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 you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more