Russia shuts Moscow's famed gulag museum
The Hindu
Moscow's Gulag History Museum faces closure amid Kremlin crackdown on independent civil society and historical interpretation.
Russian authorities ordered the closure from Thursday (November 14, 2024) of Moscow's award-winning Gulag History Museum, dedicated to the victims of Soviet-era repression.
The closure was officially put down to alleged violations of fire safety regulations but comes amid an intense campaign being waged by the Kremlin against independent civil society and those who question the state's interpretation of history.
"The decision to temporarily suspend the activities of the State Gulag Museum was taken for safety reasons," the Moscow city culture department told AFP on Thursday (November 14, 2024).
The museum removed content from its website, replacing it with an announcement of the "temporary" closure.
They declined to comment further when contacted by AFP on Thursday (November 14, 2024).
Established in 2001, the Central Moscow Museum brings together official state documents with family photographs and objects from gulag victims.
Moscow authorities said 46,000 people visited in the first nine months of the year.
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