Cultural value found in Memorial’s archive

The Federal Security Service of the Perm Territory initiated a criminal case on an attempt to illegally export to Germany the archive of the local branch of the Memorial society (recognized in Russia as a foreign agent and liquidated by decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation). The experts concluded that this archive is of cultural and historical value. According to investigators, former chairman of the regional branch of the organization Robert Latypov and chairman of the Center for Historical Memory Alexander Chernyshov were involved in the crime. As part of the investigation, searches were carried out today at the homes of Perm human rights activists and social activists, including Tatyana Margolina, the ex-commissioner for human rights in the region, and Svetlana Makovetskaya, director of the Grani Center. Mr. Latypov called what was happening an attempt to intimidate activists.

As the husband of Svetlana Makovetskaya, Igor Averkiev, told Kommersant, at about six in the morning the security forces called the apartment and announced their intention to conduct a search. Otherwise, they said, the door would be broken. Ms. Makovetskaya let the law enforcement officers into the house voluntarily. According to Mr. Averkiev, the operatives behaved correctly, confiscating telephones, computers, electronic data carriers, as well as all items that, in their opinion, are related to Memorial during the search. “They came across my personal archive, which was also taken away,” he said. From the words of the FSB officers, Igor Averkiev understood that the search was connected with the case of the removal of the archive, initiated against the former chairman of the Perm “Memorial” Robert Latypov and the chairman of the Center for Historical Memory Alexander Chernyshov. He could not clarify the article under which the case was initiated. “Where the archive is located, we do not know,” Mr. Averkiev noted.

The search was also carried out in the apartment of the former Commissioner for Human Rights in the Perm Territory, Tatyana Margolina. At the time of the investigation, Mrs. Margolina was away. “Her husband had to take the rap,” said a source familiar with the situation. Searches were also carried out at the home of journalist Tatyana Cherepanova, ex-member of the regional Public Monitoring Commission Oksana Asaulenko, and, according to some reports, lawyers who collaborated with Memorial.

Later, the FSB for the Perm Territory reported that the investigative department of the department initiated a criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Part 3 of Art. 30, paragraph “c” part 2 of Art. 226.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (attempt to smuggle cultural property by a group of persons by prior agreement). His defendants are the former head of the Perm regional branch of “Memorial” Robert Latypov and the chairman of the Perm regional charitable public organization “Center for Historical Memory” Alexander Chernyshov. According to the investigation, they, “acting on a preliminary agreement, made an attempt to smuggle out of the Russian Federation to Germany archival documents of the Memorial, which, according to an expert assessment, are of cultural and historical value.” In addition to the FSB officers, operatives of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Perm Territory were involved in the investigation of the case. Human rights defenders and activists, whose houses were searched today, are being witnessed in the case.

It is worth noting that earlier the security forces were already interested in the fate of the archive of the Perm “Memorial”. In March, in the apartments of former members of the organization, as well as Alexander Chernyshov, employees of the Center for Combating Extremism of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Perm Territory carried out operational measures of “inspection of the premises”. During interrogations, the operatives were interested in the fate of the archive of the Perm branch of the organization. On May 6, Mr. Chernyshov was detained by police at Sheremetyevo Airport, after which an administrative report on hooliganism was drawn up against him. On May 6, the Khimki Court of Moscow sentenced him to 15 days of administrative arrest.

“I am concerned and keep my finger on the pulse,” commented the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Perm Territory Igor Sapko. “b”), agreed to keep each other informed on the current situation. All Perm public activists, according to available information at the moment, are witnesses. I spoke with representatives of law enforcement agencies involved in investigative actions and asked to pay special attention to the strict observance of the current legislation in this particular case.”

“I am in touch with the members of the council who are being called as witnesses in this case and whose houses were searched,” Valery Fadeev, head of the HRC, told TASS. He added that he monitors how “all legal norms are observed, and they are observed in full.”

The former head of the Perm branch of Memorial, Robert Latypov, told the portal properm.ruwhich considers the accusations stupid, since the archive does not represent cultural value, since the documents relate to office work.

“These are minutes of meetings, board meetings, official correspondence, applications, reports on received grants,” he explained. According to Mr. Latypov, after the liquidation of the organization, the documents were sent to Moscow for evaluation by specialists. He considers the initiation of a criminal case an attempt to intimidate public figures and activists.

Dmitry Astakhov, Perm