Memorial and its chairman Jan Rachinsky fined 400 000 RUB for violating "foreign agents" law
On 7 November 2019, Roskomnadzor drew up four violation statements against Memorial and its chairman, Aleksander Cherkasov, for not labelling Memorial as a "foreign agent" on Twitter and Vkontakte.
On 22 October 2019, the Tverskoy Court of Moscow fined human rights organisation, Memorial, 300 000 RUB (approx. 4223 EUR) for not stating its status as a "foreign agent" on YouTube. The chairman of the International Memorial Board, Jan Rachinsky, was fined a further 100 000 RUB (approx. 1410 EUR) for not consistently labelling Memorial as a "foreign agent" on Facebook.
The International Historical and Human Rights Society ‘Memorial’ is an association of human rights initiatives that was founded in 1989 with an aim to preserve the societal memory of the severe political persecution in the past and modern time in the former Soviet Republics. Memorial conducts research and engages in educational activities, monitoring and documentation of human rights violations, social and legal counselling for refugees, displaced persons, political prisoners and their families, and other discriminated groups. In recognition of its human rights work, Memorial was awarded with the Victor Gollancz Prize, the Hermann Kesten Prize, the Pax Christi International award and Max van der Stoel Award, among others. In 2006-2011 Memorial was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
On 7 November 2019, Roskomnadzor drew up four violation statements against Memorial and its chairman, Aleksander Cherkasov, for not labelling Memorial as a "foreign agent" on Twitter and Vkontakte.
Memorial’s violation of the "foreign agents" law, as in the previous case, was reported by Ingushetia’s Federal Security Service office, which also reported the case to Ingushetia’s regional prosecution office.
As of today, twenty violation statements have been filed against Memorial for not stating its "foreign agent" status on social media and on its website. The Tverskoy Court in Moscow has already reviewed six violation statements against Memorial and fined the organization 1 400 000 RUB (approx. 19 824 EUR) in total.
On 22 October 2019, the Tverskoy Court of Moscow fined human rights organisation, Memorial, 300 000 RUB (approx. 4223 EUR) for not stating its status as a "foreign agent" on YouTube. The chairman of the International Memorial Board, Jan Rachinsky, was fined a further 100 000 RUB (approx. 1410 EUR) for not consistently labelling Memorial as a "foreign agent" on Facebook.
Memorial’s violations of the "foreign agents" law was uncovered as a result of an investigation by the Roskomnadzor (Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media), after Ingushetia’s Federal Security Service district filed a complaint. Although Memorial’s YouTube and Facebook pages list the organisation as a "foreign agent" in their description, Roskomnadzor insists that every single social media post should make reference to Memorial’s foreign agent status.
The Russian "foreign agents" law came into effect in 2012. It has significantly impeded human rights organizations’ work in Russia as it is used by the authorities to suppress and prevent human rights organizations from carrying out their legitimate human rights work. Memorial was placed on the government’s register of "foreign agents" in 2015.
