RUSSIALINK: “Russian Justice Ministry begins inspection of Memorial research center as foreign-agent NGO – Memorial” – Interfax

Kremlin and Saint Basil's File Photo

MOSCOW. Jan 14 (Interfax) – The Russian Justice Ministry is beginning to inspect the Memorial Scientific Research and Education Center on January 14 to see if it is fulfilling the functions of a foreign agent NGO, International Memorial’s press service said.

The organization has provided all the documents the ministry requested, the press service said.

“The Memorial Scientific Research and Education Center has provided the Russian Ministry the documents requested for an inspection of the organization’s activities today,” the press service said.

On December 19, 2018, the Justice Ministry’s Moscow branch said an extraordinary inspection of the center would be conducted on January 14.

“The inspection is being conducted on the orders of the department for non-commercial organizations of the Justice Ministry of the Russian Federation for the purpose of verifying information received from a body of state authority,” the Justice Ministry said in its letter. The letter does not state what information was received or from what body of state authority, according to Memorial.

The ministry said it would inspect the center as a non-commercial organization fulfilling the functions of a foreign agent that has not applied for inclusion in the register of foreign-agent NGOs.

The Moscow center, which is included in the structure of International Memorial, engages in historical studies and education, including the creation of reference materials on the history of state terror.

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