The Memorial Human Rights Center announced the cessation of its operations in Russia.

In an official statement from the Memorial Center is emphasizedthat the claim for recognition as an extremist organization was considered in a closed session, the case was assigned 

The document was classified as "top secret" and the lawyer was not allowed to participate in the proceedings.

“This illegal decision marks a new stage of political pressure on Russian civil society,” Memorial believes. And they don’t rule out that "The repressive apparatus of the Putin regime will persecute supporters and participants of various Memorial organizations."

“As of today, the Memorial Human Rights Center will cease all work directly on Russian territory,” is stated in the statement. "We have no employees, members, or volunteers in Russia. We do not accept donations from Russian cards, as this could put our donors at risk."

At the same time, the Memorial Center promises to continue its work to protect human rights “outside Putin’s Russia.”