Moscow City Hall denies permit for ‘Immortal Gulag’ memorial march

Moscow officials have declined to grant a permit for a memorial march organized by several Russian opposition parties. The “Immortal Gulag” march was to be modeled on the annual “Immortal Regiment” march, during which Russians carry portraits of relatives who died in the Second World War.

Andrei Nechayev, the head of Civic Initiative (now called The Party of Change), posted the permit rejection letter on Facebook.

“The official reason for the denial was that the permit request did not include a description of the methods the organizers would use to maintain public order during the event,” Nechayev wrote. However, he added that City Hall “unofficially suggested” that language about ongoing political repressions in contemporary Russia be removed from the request. The march’s organizers did not comply.