Russian rights group Memorial among hundreds of NGOS searched in new wave of repression

MOSCOW – Russian prosecutors are searching the offices of Memorial, one of the country’s oldest and most respected rights groups, as part of a new campaign targeting hundreds of nongovernmental organizations across the country. In a letter sent Thursday to Russia’s prosecutor general, the Kremlin’s presidential human rights council says it has been flooded in recent days with complaints from NGOs, and asks for an explanation. Pavel Chikov, a member of the council, told the Associated Press that up to 2,000 organizations have been searched. He said the scale of the campaign is unprecedented. …

Read more