Supreme Court upholds ex-KGB ban on researcher access to Soviet police documents

Russia's Supreme Court has rejected the request of a group of researchers to access archived documents on convicted former officials of Soviet law enforcement agency NKVD, known for its involvement in political repressions under Joseph Stalinist

A source in the court told news agency RIA Novosti that the researchers' appeal was rejected, because the court has not found that any of their rights had been violated.

In November 2015, the researchers turned to the court when they were denied access to archival materials by the central archive of the FSB, Russia's security service.

In March 2014, Russia's commission on classified information extended the term until classified information from Soviet archives could be declassified by an additional 30 years. Researchers and lawyers contested this decision, but have not achieved any results in reversing it yet.