The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland expressed his condolences today in the following statement:“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Arseny Roginsky, one of the founders and the President of the International Memorial, one of the best known and most respected human rights NGOs in Russia and the whole of Europe. I was lucky to know Mr. Roginsky, who was a great friend and supporter of the Council of Europe and of Russian membership in our Organisation.

Arseny Roginsky was a humanist and a human rights defender. In his courage and commitment to the opening of forgotten pages of Russian history and the restoration of historical justice he always demonstrated a love for his fellow citizens and a strong desire to overcome the dark pages of our recent past. For more than 50 years, through his personal action, his fight against the totalitarian regime of Soviet times and his daily contribution to the development of a robust civil society in a modern and free Russia, Arseny Roginsky has become a great figure of the modern history of his country.

His memory will remain with us for the rest of our lives.I would like to convey my condolences to the family of Arseny Roginsky and to the entire Russian and European human rights community that has lost today one of its brightest lights”.