In early 2010s, the Russian Federation entered a new stage of its internal policy which aimed to destroy the opposition movements and the barely emerging civil society. Perm-36 Memorial Museum of History of Political Repression which was founded by Perm-36 Memorial Center of History of Political Repression Autonomous Non-for-Profit Organization in a namesake political camp it had restored became one of its first large-scale victims.
The decision to destroy it was made in 2012 at the highest level, in the RF President’s Executive Office and caused the civil society’s active resistance which was supported by liberal governmental officials who were engaged in human rights advocacy. The resistance continued for two years during which many negotiations and meetings were held at various levels, including the offices of the First Deputy Head of the RF President’s Executive Office and of the Russiaт Federation President’s Plenipotentiary in Volga Federal District.
The outcome of this struggle was predictable: in 2014, the buildings and structures of the former Perm-36 political camp which the Memorial Center had restored were handed over to a public institution which also took over all of the Memorial Center’s property in the museum, including the archives, museum collections, exhibits and exhibitions.
Andrey Nikitin, a journalist, the spokesman of Perm-36 Memorial Center dedicated his investigation, ‘Perm-36: The Annals of New Repression’ to the museum destruction process.
A.I. Nikitin. “Perm-36: Chronicle of new repressions”
