Why Russia brands Nobel Prize-winning human rights group Memorial ‘extremist': Details inside

Russia's Supreme Court branded the Nobel Prize-winning human rights group Memorial "extremist" on Thursday (April 9, 2026). The move has made easier to prosecute supporters and those who are part of it. Moscow had already closed down the operations of group in 2021, prompting Memorial to work completely in exile.

The latest ruling tightens legal penalties for Russians who collaborate with the group’s exiled network or provide it with financial support. Memorial condemned the move as “illegal,” calling it a further escalation of political pressure on civil society in Russia.

The Supreme Court said in a statement that the verdicts announce Memorial and all its structural divisions "extremist", banning the group's activities in Russia. "Memorial's activities are clearly anti-Russian in nature, aimed at destroying the fundamental foundations of Russian statehood, violating territorial integrity, and eroding historical, cultural, spiritual and moral values," it said, news agency AFP reported.

What we know about human rights group Memorial?

Founded in the late 1980s, Memorial was created to document victims of Soviet-era repression, when millions died in the Gulag system. Its first chairman was Andrei Sakharov, and the organisation built the largest publicly accessible database on Gulag victims.

Once seen as a beacon of hope during Russia’s transition to democracy in the early 1990s, Memorial has since chronicled the country’s shift toward authoritarian rule under Vladimir Putin. It has compiled records of hundreds of political prisoners, including critics of the Kremlin and opponents of the Ukraine war.

The group has also documented human rights abuses linked to Russia’s wars in Chechnya and Syria, tracked the condition of Ukrainian prisoners of war, and maintained lists of individuals persecuted for their religion, including more than 200 Jehovah’s Witnesses. By 2026, it estimates there are over 1,000 political prisoners in Russia, up sharply from just 46 in 2015, as authorities intensify their crackdown on dissent amid the Ukraine conflict.

Why Memorial banned in Russia?

The prominent human rights group has continuously found itself in the crosshairs of the government for failing to properly identify itself as a "foreign agents" and for justifying "terrorist and extremist" activities. Russia's decision to label the group "extremist" on Thursday hardens the legal punishments that could be laid out to any Russian who cooperates with the organisation's network in exile or donates money.

Memorial has long faced pressure from Russian authorities, beginning with its designation as a “foreign agent” in 2015, a label that imposes strict disclosure rules and carries strong stigma. In 2021, the Supreme Court of Russia ordered its dissolution, citing violations of the law and alleged justification of extremist activities. More recently, Russia escalated its crackdown by declaring the group “extremist,” exposing supporters and donors to harsher legal penalties.

Memorial condemned the move as unlawful and warned it signals growing repression of civil society. Despite this, the organisation received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, alongside Ales Bialiatski and Ukraine’s Centre for Civil Liberties, for documenting human rights abuses. Soon after the latest ruling, a Moscow court ordered the seizure of Memorial’s headquarters, transferring it to state control.