On 27 February 2025, a court in Moscow sentenced one of the founders of the online media outlet Doxa, Armen Aramyan, to 10 years and one month in prison in absentia, Russian independent media reported. Authorities had earlier arrested the journalist in absentia and opened a criminal case against Aramyan for allegedly disseminating “fake news” about the Russian army, as well as for “justifying terrorism”. According to independent outlet OVD Info, the case was opened for social media publications made by the journalist, however it was not known exactly which posts authorities were referring to.
After its initial foundation as a student online media affiliated with Russia’s Higher School of Economics (HSE), the outlet was forced to sever ties with the university after having covered protests in Moscow in 2019. It then became a wider-public independent online outlet. Doxa Media’s website is blocked in Russia since the start of the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while the outlet’s journalists continue to work in exile.
UPDATE: On 1 October 2024, Aramyan was also placed on Russia’s list of ‘terrorists and extremists’, Russian independent media reported.