Poland continues to value the group’s contribution to uncovering and promoting the truth about what happened in Katyn. This sentiment was reflected for example in awarding Memorial with the Pro Dignitate Humana Prize of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2012. What is more, one of the organisation’s founders and its long-time chair Arseny Roginsky was honoured with the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland as well as (posthumously) with the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. The Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland was also awarded to Nikita Petrov—Memorial’s deputy chairman, historian, and researcher of the period of Stalinist repressions. We also appreciate Memorial’s efforts for the protection of human rights and civil liberties in Russia.

We are disappointed at the organisation’s legacy being cynically criminalised by the country’s authorities. At the same time, we remain convinced that this ruling, along with other measures taken by Russia’s authorities to erase the public presence of institutions and symbols that bring the true story of repression to light, will not manage to bury the memory of both the terror’s victims and its perpetrators.

On the same day that Memorial, one of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, was labelled an extremist organisation, the offices of “Novaya Gazeta,” whose editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov had also been honoured with this prestigious award, were subjected to a several-hours-long search conducted by Russian investigating authorities.

The day before, in yet another politically motivated trial, six activists from the “Vesna” Youth Movement were sentenced to long prison terms. The movement had also been designated as  extremist by the Russian authorities in 2022. Anna Arkhipova, Yan Ksenzhepolsky, Vasiliy Neustroev, Pavel Sinelnikov, Valentin Khoroshenin, and Evgeniy Zateev were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 6 years and 2 months to 12 years.

The Republic of Poland strongly opposes all forms of human rights violations.

We call on Russian authorities to drop the practice of politically motivated trials, cease persecution of independent media, and immediately release all political prisoners.

We also urge the Russian Federation to meet its international commitments regarding the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of association, and the right to a fair trial. Unfortunately, the climate in modern-day Russia with regard to respect for human rights and civil liberties is increasingly resembling the 1930s.