Alexandra Polivanova from Memorial and Violetta Fitsner, Memorial Human Rights Defence Center, will talk about the history and activities of the organization, demonstrate its digital archive and give examples of material that may be of interest from a research point of view.

Since its foundation, Memorial has been collecting and publishing information about the victims of state terror in the Soviet Union and working to preserve their memory in the public space. A large part of the archives, including documents, testimonies and objects, have been digitized and are available as searchable databases. The archives include material not only in Russian, but also in several other European languages. 

The organization also fights for the respect of human rights and freedoms in the post-Soviet space. It engages with society by talking about the past and present in publications, lectures, conferences and exhibitions. Shortly before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the International Memorial and the Human Rights Defense Center Memorial were liquidated as legal entities under Russian jurisdiction. Since 2023, the International Memorial Association is organized as a network registered in Geneva, uniting Memorials from different cities and countries. In 2022 Memorial was awarded The Nobel Peace Prize.