Nobel Committee Condemns Russia’s Actions Against Rights Group Memorial

OSLO, April 8, 2026 — The Norwegian Nobel Committee issued a sharp rebuke on Wednesday. It criticised moves by Russian authorities to curb the activities of Memorial.

Court filing in Moscow

Russia’s Ministry of Justice has lodged a claim with the Supreme Court. The filing seeks to designate Memorial as an extremist organisation.

If the court grants that request, all of Memorial’s activities would become criminalised under Russian law. The committee warned of those consequences.

Committee reaction and keywords

The Nobel Committee condemns Russia’s actions against the rights group Memorial, its statement said. The panel called the attempt to criminalise Memorial unacceptable.

Memorial was a co-recipient of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. The award was shared with Ales Bialiatski and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties.

Diplomatic response

The Russian embassy in Oslo did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment from Filmogaz.com. No official response was recorded at the time of the statement.

Reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo and Louise Rasmussen in Copenhagen for Filmogaz.com. Edited by Gwladys Fouche.