Deemed “undesirable” – De facto ban on Russian medium Meduza in exile

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The Russian prosecutor’s office on Thursday declared the independent online medium Meduza “undesirable” because its work constitutes a “threat to the foundations of Russia’s constitutional order and security”. Thus, the journalists working for the portal are subject to criminal prosecution – amounting to a ban on Russian territory.

If media companies are classified as “undesirable” in Russia, the journalists working for them risk a prison sentence of up to four years and the operators up to six years. Even people who distribute Meduza articles on online networks can be prosecuted for “participating” in the platform’s activities.

“Foreign Agents”
In April 2021, the Russian Ministry of Justice had already classified Meduza as a “foreign agent”, complicating his journalistic work. The popular Russian-language online portal was founded in March 2014. Meduza is now based in Latvia to avoid state censorship. Meduza articles are highly critical of the Russian military operation in Ukraine and the repression of Russian civil society.

“If You Want To Fight, You Get It”
In a statement following the prosecution’s decision, Meduza urged people in Russia to continue using the content. The portal promised to resist government pressure. “If you want to fight, you will get it,” was the tenor on Thursday on the medium’s website. “We would now like to say that we are not afraid and do not care about the new status, but that is not true,” it said. “We fear for our readers. We fear for those who have been working with Meduza for many years. We are afraid for our relatives and friends.”

Independent Russian journalists voiced their support for the exiled medium, saying labeling the prosecutors as “undesirable” meant that Moscow’s state propaganda was not working. For the first time, the Russian state is attempting directly to destroy a “media outlet with millions of followers, the main independent source of news and stories for Russian-speaking readers,” according to the Novaya Gazeta newspaper.

Relentless crackdown on the media and human rights defenders
Since the beginning of the offensive of Russian troops in Ukraine, laws have been passed in Russia that prohibit criticism of government actions. Several independent Russian media outlets have been forced to close or leave the country. On Wednesday, a Moscow court ordered the dissolution of the Helsinki Group, the country’s oldest human rights organization.

Source: Krone

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