Headlines
Norwegian Nobel Committee Condemns Russia's Treatment of Rights Group Memorial
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 8, 2026
1 min readLast updated: April 8, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleQuick Summary
The Norwegian Nobel Committee on April 8, 2026 condemned Russia’s ongoing efforts to criminalize Memorial, the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group, as part of a broader crackdown via undesirable and foreign agent laws.
Norwegian Nobel Committee condemns Russia's treatment of rights group Memorial
Norwegian Nobel Committee's Statement on Memorial
OSLO, April 8 (Reuters) - The Norwegian Nobel Committee said on Wednesday it was condemning "Russia's attempt to criminalise Memorial" and to designate the human rights group, a co-recipient of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, as an extremist organisation.
Details of the Russian Government's Actions
"The committee has learned that Russia's Ministry of Justice has filed a claim to the Supreme Court requesting such a designation... If the claim is upheld, all activities of Memorial will be criminalised," the Nobel body said in a statement.
Russian Embassy's Response
The Russian embassy in Oslo did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by Reuters via email.
Background on Memorial and the Nobel Peace Prize
2022 Nobel Peace Prize Recipients
Memorial shared the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, in an award widely regarded as a condemnation of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine earlier that year.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo and Louise Rasmussen in Copenhagen, editing by Gwladys Fouche)
Key Takeaways
- •Memorial, co-awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, has been outlawed in Russia and its international branches labeled “undesirable” by authorities in February 2026 (themoscowtimes.com).
- •The Nobel Committee denounced Russia’s repeated targeting of Memorial’s leadership and operations, citing politically motivated prosecutions including imprisonment of co‑chair Oleg Orlov for “discrediting” the military (nobelpeaceprize.org).
- •This condemnation underscores the Kremlin’s intensifying repression of civil society, including through foreign agent and criminal defamation laws leveraged against Memorial and similar organizations (memorialcenter.org)
References
Frequently Asked Questions about Norwegian Nobel Committee condemns Russia's treatment of rights group Memorial
1Who condemned Russia's treatment of Memorial?
The Norwegian Nobel Committee condemned Russia's treatment of the human rights group Memorial.
2What is Memorial?
Memorial is a human rights group that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.
3Why did the Norwegian Nobel Committee issue a statement?
The Committee condemned Russia's attempt to criminalise the human rights group Memorial.
4When was the condemnation made public?
The condemnation was made public on Wednesday, April 8.
