Prominent Russian newspaper shuts down under pressure from authorities

For the last three decades, Novaya Gazeta has been one of the most high-profile independent news outlets in Russia.

Now it's shutting down - and it has accused the Russian authorities of the "murder" of a newspaper.

"They've killed us," reads a statement on the Novaya Gazeta website.

"The newspaper is no more. The Russian authorities and Russian special services have forced the paper to stop its work."

Novaya Gazeta has received an eviction order. Crucially, at the same time, the system that had allowed the paper to receive donations from readers was disabled.

That leaves no way to fund the publication.

Novaya Gazeta had developed a reputation for fearless investigative reporting on subjects such as corruption, human rights violations and abuse of power by officials and bureaucrats.

The paper said that over time six journalists connected with the paper were killed for "fulfilling their professional and civic duty." Those reporters include Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot dead in the stairwell of her apartment block 20 years ago this month. Among the subjects she had reported on were the wars in Chechnya.

In the statement announcing its closure, Novaya Gazeta launched a stinging attack on the Russian authorities, claiming the newspaper was the victim of a "coordinated act" and blaming "the repressive state apparatus".

"Human rights and freedoms have been eliminated in the country and their protection has been equated to a crime," the statement said.

"The courts have been destroyed along with the law. Having convictions is now state treason."

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the pressure on independent journalism and independent Russian journalists has been growing. Soon after the start of what the Kremlin calls the so-called "special military operation", new laws were adopted in Russia. Their aim: to punish dissent and silence criticism of the war and of those in power.

Novaya Gazeta itself and its staff had been facing a multitude of problems.

The authorities had already revoked the newspaper's licence and blocked access to its website. Several of its journalists and contributors had been designated "foreign agents", a label often used by the Russian authorities to punish critics.

Earlier this year there was a police search of the editorial office. A veteran investigative journalist, Oleg Roldugin, was arrested and charged with "unlawful access to computerised information". In connection with the case, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, Sergei Sokolov, was recently taken in for police questioning and his home was searched.

Despite increasing pressure, Novaya Gazeta had managed to continue operating, albeit in a reduced form. Loyal readers used virtual private networks to circumvent official blocking of the website and access content. But the loss of its licence and other restrictions dealt a major blow.

One of the founders of Novaya Gazeta in the 1990s - and for many years its chief editor - was journalist Dmitry Muratov . In 2021, Muratov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for efforts "to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace".

The award didn't stop the authorities from declaring him a "foreign agent" in 2023.

At the offices of Novaya Gazeta, they've already started packing.

The end of this newspaper is very much the end of an era.

In an increasingly authoritarian Russia, it's also a sign of the times.

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