Nataliya Sivohina, the director of the St. Petersburg branch of the PEN Club, an international NGO which defends free expression and media freedom, was arrested on June 22. Sivohina was taken into custody and interrogated by members of Centre “E” of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which deals with extremist organizations. She was released a few hours later and charged with discrediting the Russian armed forces. The charges were based on several social media posts made by Sivohina in February and March 2022. PEN Club’s advocacy work is focused on the protection of the rights of all types of writers, including journalists. Two laws adopted in March make it illegal to spread what the state deems “false information” about the Russian military and its activities, or “discredit the Russian armed forces”.