What does the work of human rights organization consist of? What path do people have to go when they unite around some idea, some value, some dream, which may never be fulfilled in their time?

But people go towards their goal: they painstakingly collect history, memorizing the victims of political repressions. They are involved in human rights protection, charity, enlightenment. Through saving hundreds, they are saving hundreds of thousands. These are the people of Memorials, the human rights and the international ones.

On 11 November, the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office and the General Prosecutor’s Office submitted a lawsuit on liquidation of both Memorials for alleged repeated violation of foreign agents’ legislation. In addition, human rights center is accused of justifying extremist and terrorist activity. There are no legal grounds for closing Memorials. On 25
November Russia may be left without two crucial organizations working in the human rights field.

If we lose Memorial, we will lose the human rights protection speaking trumpet. We will lose the people who stand for us even when we ourselves are not ready. We are risking to lose OVD-Info, a long-term partner of Memorial. We are risking to lose protection, pride, memory, self-respect… hope?

While the ones are fighting for human rights: help, protect, contribute impossible amount of efforts, spirit and time, the others are taking these rights away, casually, cynically and abominably.

We consider this attack on Memorial as a threshold: from now onwards there will be no beating around the bush. Signs “Closed” and “Liquidated” on all human rights defenders’ doors are just a question of time.

• Sign a petition for abolition of the foreign agents law.

• Tell about prosecution of Memorial at your resources. No one of us may afford passive observation of what is going on. This is crossroads, where each of us is taking a decision for the whole society.

• Subscribe  for a donation to Memorials. They need to know that we cherish them and need them. Even a small sum is your contribution to justice. And there are many of us.

• Support OVD-Info: make a donation, subscribe for regular payments. It is impossible what the recent few years mi might have been, had these strong, courageous and incredible people not been supporting us round o’clock, ready to render assistance at any moment.

The Committee Against Torture, composed of 11 Russian and international human rights organizations signed a petition addressed to the Russian authorities with a demand to immediately withdraw both lawsuits to Memorial
human rights center and International Memorial and commence the process of abolishing the legislation on foreign agents.