Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), who chairs the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly Human Rights Committee, is calling on the Russian government to halt its harassment of civil society organisations such as Memorial.

Santos said that the Russian authorities have a duty to ensure the ability of non-governmental organizations, including human rights group Memorial, to continue their important work and rescind restrictive regulations on their activities.

After being forced to change its charter to conform to strict new laws governing NGOs, Memorial announced it had submitted all the proper documentation to the Russian Ministry of Justice.

“In the short-term, I hope that this means an end to the harassment of Memorial. However, Russia must enact meaningful reform and remove the draconian legal framework which is limiting the space for civil society to work,” Santos said.

Read more on the OSCE website.