---
title: Memorial
type: research
status: active
country: RU
website: https://www.memorial.de
logo: /assets/org-logos/memorial.png
logo_bg: light
summary: Russia's best-known human rights and historical memory organisation — documenting
  Soviet-era repression and ongoing abuses for 35 years. Liquidated by Russian courts
  in December 2021 and designated 'extremist' in April 2026; continues operating in
  exile through its international chapters, including Germany.
concepts:
- accountability-sink
- democracy
- radical-transparency
location:
  latitude: 55.7558
  longitude: 37.6176
  name: Moscow, Russia (liquidated; international chapters active)
  precision: city
news_page: https://www.memorial.de/nachrichten
events:
- date: '1989-01-28'
  title: Founded by Andrei Sakharov and others as the first independent human rights
    organisation in the Soviet Union
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_(society)
  quote: as a "historical and educational" society
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: true
- date: '2022-10-07'
  title: Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Ales Bialiatski and Center for
    Civil Liberties
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_(society)
  quote: Memorial was one of the three laureates of that year's Nobel Peace Prize
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: true
activity:
  manual:
    checked: 2026-06-07
    date: 2026-06-04
    note: website loaded. It's german... but this looks like news https://www.memorial.de/nachrichten
      wehere latest news is 04.06.2026 'Asat Miftachov wird im Lager gefoltert'
    url: https://www.memorial.de/nachrichten
  scrape:
    date: 2026-07-08
    note: Latest news page scraped
    url: https://www.memorial.de/nachrichten
    checked: 2026-08-17
  sitemap:
    checked: 2026-08-17
    date: 2026-06-05
    note: Server still up (sitemap detected)
last_checked: '2026-06-02'
---

Memorial (Мемориал) was founded in the late 1980s during the Glasnost era to document and preserve memory of Soviet political repression — labour camps, executions, and mass deportations. It became one of Russia's most prominent civil society organisations, documenting abuses in Chechnya and other conflict zones, maintaining databases of political prisoners, and providing legal support to victims of state violence.

The Russian Supreme Court ordered the liquidation of the International Memorial Society in December 2021, citing violations of foreign agent laws. Memorial continued operating internationally. In April 2026, a further escalation: the Russian Supreme Court designated Memorial an "extremist organisation," effectively criminalising any association with it inside Russia under threat of lengthy prison sentences.

Memorial won the **Nobel Peace Prize in 2022** (jointly with Ukrainian and Belarusian human rights organisations).

## Key people

- **[Oleg Orlov](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleg_Orlov)** — co-chair of Memorial's human rights centre and one of Russia's most prominent human rights defenders. Convicted in Russia in April 2024 and sentenced to two and a half years in prison for publicly calling the war in Ukraine a crime — a widely followed case in international human rights circles.
- **[Natalia Estemirova](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalya_Estemirova)** — Memorial researcher who spent years documenting human rights abuses in Chechnya. Murdered in July 2009; her killing became one of the most prominent cases of violence against Russian civil society workers.

## Current status

Memorial continues operating through its international chapters. The largest active chapter is **Memorial Germany** (memorial.de), based in Berlin. The Russian domestic organisation is formally liquidated and the extremist designation makes associated activity inside Russia a serious criminal risk.

## Note on scope

Memorial's Russian domestic organisations have been formally liquidated and its work inside Russia criminalised. It is listed here under Russia because that was the origin and primary focus of its work. International chapters — particularly Memorial Germany — continue operating and are accessible via the link below.

## Links

- Memorial Germany: [memorial.de](https://www.memorial.de)
- Wikipedia: [Memorial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_(Russia))

## See also

- [Accountability Sink](../concepts/accountability-sink.md)
- [Democracy](../concepts/democracy.md)
- [Radical Transparency](../concepts/radical-transparency.md)