A municipal court in Moscow ordered this Friday the dissolution of the Sakharov Center, which was one of the last pillars of the defense of human rights in Russia, in a context of repression of critical voices since the offensive in Ukraine.
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In a statement, the court stated that the association, named after Nobel Peace Prize winner Andrei Sakharov, organized conferences and exhibitions illegally outside its regional “zone of activity”, which is stipulated in its statutes.
The center founded in 1996 organized debates and cultural events and also housed a museum on Soviet crimes. In April this year, the organization was forced to leave its historic headquarters in Moscow.
In that place, thousands of people watched over the remains of the Russian opponent Boris Nemtsov, assassinated in 2015. In April, the Russian Ministry of Justice initiated a “verification” process of this associationwhich since 2014 was listed as a “foreign agent”.
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At least two other associations with critical opinions have been dissolved for operating outside their area of activity. In January, the same court ordered the closure of the NGO Helsinki Group, the oldest association for the defense of human rights in Russia, and then in April the court ruled the dissolution of the Sova Center, specialized in the study of racism and xenophobia. .
AFP
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