"Memorial" (Russian: Мемориал) is an international historical and civil rights society that operates in a number of post-USSR states with the following missions stated in its charter: Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... A charter is a document bestowing certain rights on a town, city, university or institution; sometimes used as a loan of money. ...

• "To promote mature civil society and democracy based on the rule of law and thus to prevent a return to totalitarianism;
• To assist formation of public consciousness based on the values of democracy and law, to get rid of totalitarian patterns, and to establish firmly human rights in practical politics and in public life;
• To promote the reveal of the truth about the historical past and perpetuate the memory of the victims of political repression exercised by totalitarian regimes."

The society was officially founded by the founding conference held on April 19, 1992, although it was organized in 1980s during the Glasnost period in the former Soviet Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union the society became international, with organizations in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Latvia, and Georgia. Political repression means the restriction of the abilities of certain groups of people to take part in the political life of a society; or the persecution of people for their political beliefs. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Glasnost (Russian: гла́сность, listen â–¶(?)) was one of Mikhail Gorbachevs policies introduced to the Soviet Union in 1985. ... The rise of Gorbachev Although reform stalled between 1964–1982, the generational shift gave new momentum for reform. ...

Its full official name is the International Volunteer Public Organization “MEMORIAL Historical, Educational, Human Rights And Charitable Society”.

In 2004 Memorial was among the four recipients of the Right Livelihood Award, sometimes called the alternative Nobel Prize, for its work in documenting violations of human rights in Russia and other former states in the USSR. Quoting the RLA jury: "...for showing, under very difficult conditions, and with great personal courage, that history must be recorded and understood, and human rights respected everywhere, if sustainable solutions to the legacy of the past are to be achieved." 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jakob von Uexkull, founder of the Right Livelihood Award The Right Livelihood Award, established in 1980 by Jakob von Uexkull, is presented annually in the Swedish Parliament, on December 9, to honour those working on practical and exemplary solutions to the most urgent challenges facing the world today. An international... Sir Edward Appletons medal Photographs of Nobel Prize Medals. ...

Activities

Memorial organizes assistance, legal and financial for the victims of Gulag. GULAG (Russian: Glavonoye Upravleniye Lagerey, Main Camp Administration) was the branch of the Soviet secret police (the NKVD and later on the KGB) that dealt with concentration camps. ...

Memorial does research in the history of political repression and publicizes the findings in books, articles, exhibitions, museums, and websites of its member organisations.

By the efforts of the society, October 30, 1990, the Memorial to the Victims of the Gulag (a simple stone from Solovki) was erected at the Lubyanka Square in Moscow, near the KGB headquarters beside the Iron Felix (the latter was removed in August, 1991). October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... For the Temptations album, see 1990 (Temptations album) MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... GULAG (Russian: Glavonoye Upravleniye Lagerey, Main Camp Administration) was the branch of the Soviet secret police (the NKVD and later on the KGB) that dealt with concentration camps. ... Solovki is located in the Solovetsky Islands, White Sea, Russia. ... Stalin ordered all the historic Lubyanka churches to be demolished in order to make way for the KGB headquarters Lubyanka Square in Moscow is not far from Red Square. ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: (?)) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva. ... The KGB emblem and motto: The sword and the shield KGB (transliteration of КГБ) is the Russian-language acronym for the Committee for State Security, (Russian: â–¶(?); transliteration: Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti), and was the umbrella organisation name for (i) the principal Soviet internal Security Agency, (ii) the principal... Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky (Феликс Эдмундович Дзержинский; September 11, 1877 - July 20, 1926) was a Polish Communist revolutionary, famous as the founder of the Bolshevik secret police, the Cheka, later known by many names. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR officially recognized the day of October 30 as a Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repression. October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ...

Efforts of Memorial were behind the Law on Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repression. It was passed in 1991.

External links

• Memorial website
• Memorial Charter
• The Book of Memory of Victims of Political Represions of Astrakan Oblast (in Russian), a list of 10,955 names repressed in Astrakhan Oblast in 1918-1986.