Russia used its authoritative power against the media, which spoke independently against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russian authority outlawed, its most prominent independent news outlet Meduza, in an attempt to silence their voice.
It listed it as an “undesirable organization” and now its journalists, financial contributors, and sources facing the threat of prosecution by Russian law and order.
The General Prosecutor’s office said on Thursday that the activities of Meduza “constitute a threat to the foundation of the constitutional order and security of the Russian Federation.”
Meduza an Independent News Outlet
An independent voice of the Ukraine war and the Kremlin is the most popular news outlet in Russia.
It stood alone from the other news channel for speaking against the Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
An independent Russian language news channel website Meduza was founded in the Latvian capital Riga in 2014.
It was founded by the employees of the popular Russian news website Lenta.ru.
Lenta.ru’s Kremlin-linked billionaire owner Alexander Mamut fired editor-in-chief Galina Timchenko. In response to this many journalists resigned from the Russian news channel Lenta.ru.
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Meduza was Declared a ‘Foreign Agent’ in April 2021
Russian Justice Ministry labeled it as a ‘Foreign agent’ in April 2021.
In July, the founder of the Wagner mercenary group requested that Meduza be labeled an undesirable organization.
Immediately after it published an investigation into the activities of his mercenary group, which Prigozhin described as “provocation disguised as pacifism.”
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What does it mean to be an Undesirable Organisation for Meduza
Now Russian govt. outlaw Meduza and marked it as an undesirable organization.
Undesirable organization means in Russia that Journalists and Russian are completely prohibited from working outside Russia for Meduza. The violation could be four years imprisonment.
Any person who contributed financially could face a penalty of up to five years in prison.
In addition to this distribution or publishing by an “undesirable organization” is a criminal offense and can lead to legal consequences.
Journalists Are Against the Undesirable Status Of Meduza
The Meduza journalists in their public letters vow to continue working despite restrictions.
“We would like to say now that we are not afraid and we do not care about the new status – but this is not so,” the letter read. “We are afraid for our readers. We are afraid for those who have been cooperating with Meduza for many years. We are afraid for our loved ones and friends.
“Nevertheless, we believe in what we are doing. We believe in freedom of speech. We believe in a democratic Russia. The stronger the pressure, the tougher we resist it.”
Proekt an investigative outlet added to the list of undesirable organizations in 2021 said “This status is given only to those whom the Russian authorities fear above all, and it means that their journalists have truly continued to do their work well.”