Searches in Memorial Human Rights Centre, International Memorial finished - lawyer

MOSCOW. March 5 (Interfax) - Searches in the offices of the Memorial Human Rights Centre and International Memorial (both organizations were earlier designated as foreign-agent NGOs in Russia and shut down) have been completed, lawyer Mikhail Biryukov told Interfax on Saturday.

"The search in [the office of] International Memorial is over. Law enforcement officers are taking out the seized items," Biryukov said. He earlier said that the search in the Memorial Human Rights Centre had finished.

As was reported the previous day, searches also took place in the office of the Civic Assistance Committee (designated as a foreign-agent NGO in Russia). "All the three searches in the organizations are being held in a criminal case against Memorial Human Rights Centre member Bakhrom Khamroyev, Civic Assistance Committee head Svetlana Gannushkina told Interfax on Friday.

The Federal Financial Monitoring Service earlier on Friday placed Khamroyev on the list of individuals and organizations reportedly involved in extremist activities or terrorism.

In late February, Memorial reported about Khamroyev's detention in connection with a case opened on the counts of justification of terrorism on the Internet.

Interfax currently has no comments from any law enforcement agencies on this matter.

A criminal case has been opened against Khamroyev under Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code (public calls for terrorist activities, justification or propaganda of terrorism using mass media or the Internet), the Civic Assistance Committee press service said.

On December 28 and 29, 2021, the Russian Supreme Court granted the lawsuits of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office and the Moscow Prosecutor's Office to liquidate Memorial International and Memorial Human Rights Centre, respectively.

Later on February 28, 2022, the appeals panel for administrative cases of the Russian Supreme Court upheld the ruling to shut down the International Memorial historical and educational society (designated as a foreign-agent NGO in Russia) at the request of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office.

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