By Basant El-Faramawy
Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta announced Friday it is closing, citing pressure from authorities including a search of its senior editor's home and the detention of a journalist.
Pressure from Authorities
Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov said in a YouTube video statement that Russian special services forced the editorial team to end its work. "Novaya Gazeta is ceasing to exist," he said, adding that on November 9 the paper will shut down its servers after 30 years.
This month Sokolov was questioned and his home searched over a criminal case involving colleague Oleg Roldugin, who was arrested in April on charges of "unlawful access to computerised information." Roldugin pleaded not guilty and remains under house arrest until November 10.
History of Independent Journalism
Russian authorities have intensified crackdown on independent media since the 2022 offensive in Ukraine. Novaya Gazeta, designated a "foreign agent," had its media licence revoked in 2022. Former editor Dmitry Muratov won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for safeguarding freedom of expression.
