Russia's gulag museum is being shut down under government pressure

Russia's Perm-36 museum issued a statement Monday that it is "ceasing its activities and beginning the process of self-liquidation" following months of the government pressuring the museum to close.

Perm-36 is the only Russian museum built on the site of a former gulag camp, The Moscow Times reports. The museum commemorates victims of Soviet labor camps.

The Times notes that the museum's closing comes as a recent Levada Center poll found that more than half of Russians have positive views of Josef Stalin. Russia's government reportedly investigated the museum last year for "extremism," the Times reports.

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In its official statement, Perm-36 said that discussions about preserving the museum "have proven unsuccessful." The museum also noted that it had been nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage list.

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