Moscow court obliges HRC "Memorial" to get registered as foreign agent

The Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow has obliged the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" to get registered as a foreign agent. Thus, the complaint lodged by rights defenders against the respective demand of the prosecutor's office was rejected.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that after an off-the-schedule inspection, the Moscow Prosecutor's Office demanded from the HRC "Memorial" to get registered as a foreign agent. The Centre treated the Office's conclusion about political nature of the Centre's activities as erroneous and challenged the demand at the Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow.

The HRC "Memorial" does not deny the very fact of funding from abroad, said its representative Kirill Koroteev. However, as he said, the organization has no effect on the public opinion and governmental decision-making.

Furkat Tishaev, the lawyer for the HRC "Memorial" and a member of the "Russian Justice Initiative", has stated with reference to the "Levada Centre" that the majority of population in Russia treats negatively the term "foreign agent". However, the spokesman of the Prosecutor's Office, in his turn, said that such objections are ungrounded.

The HRC "Memorial" is a part of the Historical, Educational and Human Rights Society "Memorial", and is engaged in protection of human rights, including in the territory of Northern Caucasus.