Memorial: The Fight For Truth Continues - Dr Grigory Vaypan

Dr Grigory Vaypan will tell us about the origins of Memorial, foundation in 1989 and becoming a symbol of a country opening up to the world. He will tell us about the vitally important work of Memorial in commemorating the millions of innocent people executed, imprisoned or otherwise persecuted in the Soviet era. And he will also describe how Memorial International was “liquidated” by order of Russia's Supreme Court in December 2021 and explain the reasons for this.

Grigory will go on to tell us how, despite this draconian treatment by the Russian Federation State authorities (judicial as well as executive), those who are committed to promoting truthful remembrance of the past have not given up, whether operating outside or even inside Russia.

Dr Grigory Vaypan is a Russian human rights lawyer and scholar. He is a Senior Lawyer at Memorial, Russia's oldest human rights group and laureate of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, and is also a Democracy Fellow with the Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).