Alerts | Censorship and regulation

Russian Supreme Court cancels Novaya Gazeta’s online publishing license

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On 15 September 2022, the Supreme Court of Russia cancelled the online publishing license of Novaya Gazeta, a major independent newspaper headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov.

Novaya Gazeta was stripped of its online license for publishing an article which mentioned two Russian non-profit organizations without specifying that they had been designated as “foreign agents” by Russia. Editor-in-Chief Dmitry Muratov called the decision “ordered and politically motivated”.

On 6 September, a court in Moscow also cancelled the printing licence of Novaya Rasskaz Gazeta, a project developed by the Novaya Gazeta team after previous legal restrictions. Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media watchdog and censor, claimed Novaya Rasskaz Gazeta was registered in 2009, but had not published until 2022, and said this was a violation of media law. The outlet disagreed with this interpretation of regulations. On September 5, the Basmanny district court also stripped Novaya Gazeta of its printing license.

UPDATE: On 7 February 2023, a court of appeals in Moscow confirmed the decision to strip both Novaya Gazeta and Novaya Rasskaz Gazeta of their printing licenses.

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