Russian NGO Memorial will open a branch in Bern – rts.ch

At the end of December 2021, the Russian Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of the Human Rights Center of the NGO Memorial International, after already disbanding the parent structure of this organization fighting repression in contemporary Russia.

At that time, the judge heard the case and declared, “Accept the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and dissolve this non-governmental organization.” In question, non-respect of obligations arising from the status of “foreign agent”, reminiscent of the term “enemy of the people” during the Soviet Union and referring to entities deemed to be acting against Russian interests.

Since then, the NGO has gone into exile in several countries and now has organizations in Germany, France, Belgium, Italy and soon Switzerland, as a branch will be created in Bern on Saturday. It has also established its headquarters in international Geneva, but according to Patrick Cheriet, professor of Slavic linguistics at the University of Lausanne, this address mainly serves as a “post office box”.

Purpose: Talk about Russia

Called on Friday at La Matinale, Patrick Seriot will participate in the creation of this Bernese branch. To explain the importance of this work, the Russian expert recalled that in the Soviet Union, as in Putin’s Russia, “there is a surprising idea that we are not speechless (…) It seems catastrophic. I am rediscovering the forgotten, lost, hidden memory of the repressions and imprisonments of the Stalin era. It is also the purpose of memory.

“Our Swiss Memorial Association will be talking about Russia, explaining and understanding that words do not have the same meaning. Our job is to spread this information,” he says.

The monument was erected during the era of President Boris Yeltsin, “when everything still seemed possible, when archives were opened, when civil society began to emerge,” notes Patrick Cheriet in Russia, lamenting that “this extraordinary period did not last long.”

Despite the dissolution of the memorial, Russia did not die completely. “In most cities of Russia there are still very brave people who make excursions to memorial sites. They put memorial plaques in the apartments where people killed in the Soviet era once lived. This work is very important and the goal of the Swiss. The variant of the memorial is to participate, restore this memory and help colleagues in Russia. ” explains Patrick Seriot.

The role of language

The Waldensian linguist also believes that the role of language in understanding the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is underestimated. “The role of language is fundamental in Eastern Europe, where the definition of collective identity passes through ethnolinguistics, i.e. for Vladimir Putin, any place where Russian is spoken is Russia. The comparison is difficult but necessary: ​​German-speaking Czechoslovak citizens were considered Germans before Adolf Hitler were Czechoslovak citizens”, according to Patrick Seryot. .

In Ukraine, the language problem is more complex. “It must be understood that in Soviet times, Russian speakers had a huge advantage over others. Everyone had to speak Russian, while Russian speakers were not interested in speaking local languages. They lost this advantage and this privilege, so they beg.”

A parallel can also be drawn with Switzerland, the professor of Slavic linguistics explains: “It is very boring, because the majority of people I know in Russia believe that the French-speaking Swiss are a French people, they dream of only one thing: to be restored by the republic on the other side of the lake, we are a giant. Facing a misunderstanding, it is important to understand that in Soviet times there was a clear distinction between Soviet citizenship and nationality. There is no distinction in domestic documents, but it still exists in law in Russia.”

Interview by Frédéric Mamaïs

Web Adaptation: Jeremy Favre