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full screen The president of the human rights organization Memorial, Oleg Orlov, was imprisoned in Russia for his criticism of the Russian invasion war in Ukraine. Archive image. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP/TT
The human rights organization Memorial estimates that the extent of Russian persecution of regime critics and dissidents is far more extensive in both Russia and Ukraine than is being reported.
The Memorial, which received the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, says the repression and imprisonment of political prisoners is occurring on a scale comparable to the repressive regime of the Soviet Union.
Sergej Davidis, who heads the Memorial’s political prisoners section, says around 7,000 civilians in Ukraine have been detained by Russian authorities.
Memorial is banned from operating in Russia, but sources say the organization is following 1,300 cases in Russia believed to involve political prisoners. Officially, Memorial has identified 778 identified cases, but states that this is “only the tip of the iceberg” and that many people are being held in secret.
– We are trying to create a more comprehensive list of people who are detained illegally, apart from those who are political prisoners, says Davidis.
Memorial’s chairman Oleg Orlov, who has been imprisoned since criticizing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, lives in exile since he was part of a previous prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries.