The press title is under pressure from the recent law sanctioning criticism of the Russian army.
From our correspondent in Moscow
It is a last glimmer of freedom of expression which is extinguished in the vitrified landscape of the press in Russia. The independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta announced Monday to suspend its online publications and its paper newspaper. Officially, it’s just a shelve until the end of the “ special military operation “. The steamroller to which all the Russian media have been systematically subjected for months nevertheless raises questions about the durability of this emblematic title.
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Founded in 1993, Novaya Gazeta enjoyed a high reputation, in particular for its investigations into corruption and human rights abuses in Chechnya. A prestige enhanced a few months ago by the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to its editor, Dmitri Mouratov. Six of his collaborators were assassinated, including the famous journalist Anna Politkovskaïa, in 2006.
In a press release, the newspaper said it had taken the decision to put itself on hold after receiving a second warning from the Russian telecoms policeman, in less than a week, for breaching a controversial law on “ foreign agents “. A text which requires in particular the media concerned to recall this infamous name on each of their publications. Specifically, it is blamed on Novaya Gazeta for not having specified that an NGO mentioned in one of its articles was described as “ foreign agent by Russian authorities, as required by law. After the vote, on March 4, of a law on “fake news” which could lead to fifteen years of imprisonment, the newspaper had withdrawn from its site all the articles on the actions of the Russian army in Ukraine.
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“ There is no other solution. For us, and I know for you, this is a terrible and painful decision. But we have to protect each other », wrote Dmitry Muratov in a letter to the newspaper’s readers. Since February 24, the Novaia as it is called, walked a tightrope, publishing, for example, reports from Mariupol and investigations into army conscripts or the state of mind in Russian universities.
The launch of the military operation on February 24 sounded the death knell for the last independent media. Many Russian or foreign sites have been blocked. Several international media have announced that they have suspended their activity in the country. Among the best-known Russian media, radio Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow) and television channel Dojd (Rain) closed their doors a week ago after their sites were blocked. The power has also blocked Facebook, restricted access to Twitter and according to observers, threats now hang over YouTube.
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