CoE and ODIHR of the OSCE welcome court's refusal to liquidate "Memorial"

Thorbjorn Jagland, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE), and Georg Link, the Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE, have welcomes the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) of Russia to reject the liquidation of the "Memorial".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 28 the Russia's SC refused to satisfy the claim lodged by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to liquidate the Russian Historical, Educational and Human Rights Society "Memorial". The "Memorial" has treated the SC's decision as lawful and fair. In the course of the litigation, in response to the MoJ's claims, on November 22, 2014, rights defenders made changes to the Charter of the "Memorial"; and on December 12, 2014, the Society handed over its documents to the MoJ.

"The decision of the SC not to close the 'Memorial', one of the most respected human rights organizations in Europe and Russia, deserves the highest appraisal," says the statement of Georg Link, posted on the website of the OSCE.

The contribution of the "Memorial" into the coverage of crimes of the totalitarian Soviet state, as well as its work towards the monitoring of respect of human rights in Russia, are priceless, said the Director of the ODIHR.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.