– Reprehensible and Targeted – NRK Urix – Foreign Documentary News

The license was revoked on Monday, which in practice means the newspaper has been banned from conducting further operations in Russia, Reuters writes.

In a case brought by the media watchdog agency Roskomnadzor, Novaja Gazeta was accused of not submitting documents on the change of ownership in 2006.

editor for Novaya Gazeta Dmitry Muratov, calling The decision is very incorrect.

– It is a political system. Muratov tells the Mediazona and Kommersant website that he has no legal basis.

According to Muratov, the verdict will be appealed.

– This decision is despicable and purposeful. Muratov says we are being prosecuted because we allegedly did not provide any documents, even though we gave everything.

– It is normal for our lawyers to appeal the decision.

Editor Muradov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for his efforts for freedom of expression.

– I’m not surprised

The newspaper criticized the Russian invasion of Ukraine and temporarily suspended publication in March due to tight Russian censorship. The newspaper was one of the few independent media to publish from Russia.

Thomas Nielsen, editor of the online newspaper Barents Observer, is not surprised by what is happening now.

It’s unfortunately not surprising, but of course a sad development, says Nielsen

Nielsen doesn’t think that’s the last we hear from the Novaja Gazeta.

– I know a lot of journalists there. I would like to believe that they will not give up and try other ways to get their journalistic work done. Nielsen says the people who work at Gazeta are very powerful people

Critic of the invasion of Ukraine

Novaja Gazeta was one of the few independent media outlets that was allowed to continue its critical coverage of Russian society.

More than 70 percent of newspaper shares are owned by employees. The rest was owned by the last president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, who used prize money from the Nobel Peace Prize to fund the startup.

Six working journalists have been killed since its inception in 1993. The most famous of them internationally is Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot dead on 7 October 2006.

Already at the beginning of the war, Dmitry Muratov signed a petition with 100 journalists stating that they were against the war.

More difficult for freelance journalists

In recent years, and especially after the invasion of Ukraine, it has become more and more difficult to engage in independent journalism in Russia. Since 2012, more and more media outlets are classified as foreign agents and have been subjected to a series of reprisals. The hastily introduced law this week is a further restriction on freedom of expression in the country.

In March, the Russian State Duma introduced a new law that makes it possible to punish people with 15 years in prison if they provide “false information” about what is happening in Ukraine.