The EU and the USA condemn the liquidation of Memorial*

"A critical look at your past is essential for the healthy development and progress of a society. Suppressing freedoms will ultimately weaken those who engage in such activities", - Borrell said.

According to US State Department spokesman Ned Price, the liquidation of Memorial* reflects "an era of rapidly shrinking space for independent civil society, the media, and pro-democratic activists in Russia".

“We call on the Russian authorities to end the persecution of independent voices and human rights defenders and stand in solidarity with those who were repressed for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly”, - Price quoted Reuters as saying.

As a reminder, on December 28, the Supreme Court ruled to liquidate the international society "Memorial*" and its structural organizations. The Prosecutor General's Office pointed to systematic violations of the labeling of the foreign agent's status. She also stated that the organization distorts the memory of the Great Patriotic War and "creates a false image of the USSR as a terrorist state".

The defense intends to appeal the decision.

At the same time, representatives of the society said that Memorial* will find legitimate ways to keep working.

* The organization was recognized as a foreign agent and was liquidated by a court decision on the territory of Russia