Memorial is a prominent Russian legal organization that has been active for many decades, initially documenting the extensive crimes people were subjected to during the Soviet era.
The Supreme Court, at the request of the Department of Justice, has decided to designate all Memorial-related activities as extremist, making them punishable by imprisonment.
The organization was previously labeled a "foreign agent" and forced into formal dissolution, but some activities have continued in other forms.
On Thursday, security forces also raided the offices of the newspaper Novaya Gazeta in Moscow. The editorial staff have gone into exile, but limited work has continued in the Moscow offices.
