Brussels, Jan 1 (EFE).- The European Union, United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia rejected the Russian court’s decision to liquidate the International NGO Memorial and Human Rights Memorial Center and in a joint statement they assured that their work was “never needed again”.

“We regret the decision of two Russian courts to forcibly close Memorial International and the Memorial Center for Human Rights,” they said.

They also stressed that the two organizations were doing “peaceful work” and that “we cannot accept” the judge’s assertion that the entities condone extremism and terrorism.

The court’s decision on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week saw the closure of Russia’s main human rights organization and the sound of Soviet retaliation, made in 1987 when the Soviet Union had not yet disappeared.

“For more than three decades, the Memorial has played a unique role in documenting historical crimes and in restoring for posterity the memory of the tens of millions of victims of political repression in this country,” notes Brussels, Washington, London, Canberra and Ottawa.

“He has also tirelessly advocated for the protection of human rights in Russia, denounced grave abuses, including in the North Caucasus, and maintained a growing list of those he considers political prisoners,” they continued.

They recalled their condemnation of Russian laws against foreign agents and said that “the excessive decision to silence Memorial comes after months of systematic and deep repression in Russia” of human rights defenders, independent media said. group.

“The Russian people, like anywhere in the world, have the right to freedom of expression and association, including in defense of their human rights and fundamental freedoms,” they argued in the statement.

Both organizations have announced that they will appeal to the Russian courts and their intention to go to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary.

(c) EFE Agency