Closure of Russia's Memorial would be huge loss – Lithuania's GRRCL

  • 2021-11-23
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS – The closure of Russia's historic research organization Memorial would be a huge loss for Russia, its people and the international community, the Genocide and Resistance Research Center of Lithuania says.

"Memorial's collected priceless historic archives and its assistance in researching the Soviet period have been very important not only for Lithuania but also for the majority of the countries affected by the Soviet occupation, therefore, the suspension of Memorial's operation and the destruction of this organization would be a huge loss for Russia and its people, and for the whole international community," Arunas Bubnys, head of the GRRCL, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Operating for more than three decades, the Russian NGO has been the key organization in Russia for the research of Stalinist repressions and for the commemoration of their victims, and it has also been a long-standing partner of the GRRCL.

Earlier this week, Russia's Supreme Court is set to consider prosecutors' request to close Memorial which has around 50 branches across the country and abroad.