Investigators are downloading the archive of “Memorial” – Newspaper Kommersant No. 48 (7493) dated 03/22/2023

Lawyers and historians of the liquidated human rights society Memorial, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2022, were searched in Moscow. Prior to liquidation, Memorial was included in the register of foreign agents. Now the Investigative Committee (IC) has initiated a case against an “unidentified circle of persons” on the rehabilitation of Nazism, in which it conducted a series of interrogations, confiscated the equipment and archives of human rights activists. In addition, a criminal case has been opened for discrediting the RF Armed Forces against Oleg Orlov, co-chairman of Memorial.

At seven in the morning on March 21, the investigators came to the former members of Memorial: Yan Rachinsky, chairman of the board, Oleg Orlov, co-chairman, Alexandra Polivanova and her mother, curator of programs, historians Nikita Petrov and Alexander Guryanov, curators and custodians of the archives of the victims of Soviet repressions Galina Iordanskaya, Irina Ostrovskaya and Alena Kozlova. Then the searches were carried out in the former offices of “Memorial” in Karetny Ryad and Maly Karetny Lane (the Prosecutor General’s Office turned the premises in February through the court in favor of the state).

In December 2021, the Prosecutor General’s Office demanded through the court to liquidate the “International Memorial” for the systematic violation of the law on foreign agents (lack of labeling on books and publications on the network – only ten episodes). A similar lawsuit was filed against HRC Memorial. In addition to the labeling claims, the Moscow prosecutor’s office listed “justification of extremism” among the reasons for liquidation, including because of the base of modern “political prisoners”. In addition, members of the Veterans of Russia movement complained about Memorial: Memorial “falsifies the facts of Nazi crimes” and adds Soviet repressed “accomplices of Nazism” to the bases. In 2022, the court liquidated the HRC Memorial and International Memorial. The Scientific Information and Educational Center (NIPC) “Memorial” was opened, and the Nobel Committee awarded “Memorial” a peace prize for “consistent efforts in support of humanistic values, anti-militarism and the principles of law.” A few days ago, the apartments of former employees of the Perm branch of Memorial (included in the register of foreign agents and also liquidated in 2022) were searched, as Kommersant reported, including the seizure of archives.

The Investigative Committee, in response to Kommersant’s request about the reasons for the searches in Moscow, said: “All information permitted by law is available on official sources” of the department. On March 21, the Telegram channel of the Moscow Department of the Investigative Committee reported that searches were being carried out as part of the investigation of a criminal case on the rehabilitation of Nazism using the media and the Internet (clause “c” part 2 of article 354.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) “at more than ten addresses” near “employees” of HRC “Memorial” and “International Memorial”.

From the decision “on the conduct of a search in cases of urgency” (“Kommersant” got acquainted with the document), which was issued by the investigator Kristina Listopadova, it follows that the criminal case was initiated on March 3. “Unidentified persons” from among the employees of “Memorial”, the resolution says, “neglecting the provisions of the company’s charter on the restoration of historical truth, acting deliberately”, published on their website the database “List of victims of political terror in the USSR.” The investigation draws attention to three persons from this database: “Pyotr Alekseevich Dolzhenkov, born in 1900, Petr Pavlovich Dvoynykh, born in 1909, and Rudolf Yakovlevich Naimiller, born in 1912.” The latter in 1953 “was found guilty” of serving in the SS, participating “in punitive operations for the mass destruction of Soviet citizens of Jewish nationality” and sentenced to 25 years in the camps, reports Kristina Listopadova. Pyotr Dvoinykh and Pyotr Dolzhenkov were sentenced in 1943 by the NKVD for treason to ten years in the camps. All three were denied rehabilitation.

After the searches, the human rights activists were taken first to the Tver police department, and then for interrogation in the Investigative Committee. Alexandra Polivanova and Irina Ostrovskaya, after meeting with the investigators, said that they were witnesses in the case, their personal belongings and equipment were confiscated. The investigators were interested in how databases of victims of political repressions are compiled, what sources the compilers use and how they check the facts, Ms. Polivanova said. Lawyer Leysan Mannapova, who defends Irina Ostrovskaya, told Kommersant that, in addition to her laptop, a medical mask with the Memorial logo was confiscated from her client. Later, Galina Iordanskaya was also released from the UK.

Journalists spotted Jan Rachinsky at the former office of Memorial in Karetny Ryad: the investigators took Mr. Rachinsky out of the paddy wagon for a short time and brought him back almost immediately. He was taken to the UK for interrogation together with the historian Alexander Guryanov.

Late in the evening, it became known that Oleg Orlov, Chairman of the Board of Memorial, was charged with discrediting the army (part 1 of article 280.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation; a fine of up to 300,000 rubles or imprisonment for up to three years). Such a case is initiated if a person has already been held liable under a similar article of the Code of Administrative Offenses within a year. In the case of Mr. Orlov, we are talking about two administrative fines for 20 thousand and 50 thousand rubles. March 28 and 30 last year respectively. The reason was the repost of an article written by Oleg Orlov for Mediapart magazine and posted on one of the social networks banned in the Russian Federation. In the case of discrediting, the investigator chose a preventive measure for Mr. Orlov in the form of a written undertaking not to leave, then he was interrogated in the case of the rehabilitation of Nazism.

By 8 p.m., a video appeared on Memorial’s Telegram channel showing investigators removing boxes of papers from Memorial’s premises in Maly Karetny Lane. Kommersant’s interlocutor, close to Memorial’s lawyers, suggested in this regard that the purpose of the searches was “precisely to seize archives, collections and databases in order to wipe out decades of human rights activists’ work.”

At the time of preparation of the material, Alexander Guryanov left the IC in the status of a witness, the department began interrogating Yan Rachinsky, and the interrogation of Mr. Orlov continues.

Maria Starikova