After the sudden death of opposition leader Alexey Navalny in a Russian prison on February 16, Moscow has escalated its crackdown on press freedom.
This week, Russia banned freedom of expression group Article 19 and news organization Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) as “undesirable,” a designation banning them from operating in Russia, and anyone who participates in them or works to organize their activities faces prison and fines. The classification also makes it a crime to distribute the outlet’s content or donate to it from inside or outside Russia.
These designations only serve to underscore how much Russian authorities fear being held to account for their repeated and long-standing violations of press freedom. Since 2021, Russian authorities have labeled more than a dozen media organizations “undesirable,” and RFE/RL in particular has been targeted by the Russian government for years.
On February 20, Russian courts upheld the arrest of RFE/RL editor and dual U.S. and Russian citizen Alsu Kurmasheva —alongside that of American journalist Evan Gershkovich—and extended both of their detentions.
On February 16 and 17, at least four journalists were briefly detained while reporting on memorials in Navalny’s honor after his death in custody. Additionally on February 21, the latest edition of the independent news weekly Sobesednik, featuring Navalny on the front page, was withdrawn from distribution sites in Moscow.
While these arrests are not surprising, given the Russian authorities’ long history of harassing and detaining journalists covering pro-Navalny demonstrations, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged Russia to allow journalists to report on tributes to Navalny and freely cover events of public interest without fear of being detained.
