The license was revoked on Monday, which in practice means that the newspaper has been banned from further operation in Russia, writes Reuters. In a case brought by the media regulator Roskomnadzor, Novaya Gazeta is accused of not having submitted documents about a change of ownership in 2006. The editor of Novaya Gazeta, Dmitrij Muratov, calls the decision invalid. – It is a political order. It does not have the slightest legal basis, says Muratov to the website Mediazona and Kommersant. According to Muratov, the ruling will be appealed. – This decision is reprehensible and targeted. We are being prosecuted because we allegedly did not submit any documents, even though we submitted everything, says Muratov. – Our lawyers will naturally appeal the decision. Editor, Muratov, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for his efforts for freedom of expression. – Not surprised The newspaper has criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and temporarily stopped publication in March due to tightened Russian censorship. The newspaper was one of the few independent media that published from Russia. Editor of the online newspaper Barents Observer, Thomas Nilsen, is not surprised by what is happening now. Photo: Tarjei Abelsen / news Editor of the online newspaper Barents Observer, Thomas Nilsen, is not surprised by what is happening now. – It is unfortunately no surprise, but of course a sad development, says Nilsen Nilsen does not think this is the last we hear from Novaja Gazeta. – I know many of the journalists there. I would like to believe that they are not going to give up and try other ways to get their journalism done. Those who work at Gazetta are very tough people, says Nilsen Critical of the invasion of Ukraine Novaya Gazeta was one of the few independent media that was allowed to continue its critical coverage of Russian society. Over 70 percent of the newspaper shares are owned by the employees. The rest was owned by the last president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, who used the prize money from the Nobel Peace Prize to finance the start-up. Six of the journalists on the staff have been killed since its inception in 1993. The most famous internationally is Anna Politkovskaja, who was shot on 7 October 2006. Already at the beginning of the war, Dmitrij Muratov signed a petition together with 100 journalists stating that they were against the war . More difficult for independent journalists In recent years, and especially after the invasion of Ukraine, it has become more difficult to engage in independent journalism in Russia. Since 2012, more and more media have been labeled as foreign agents and subjected to a series of reprisals. The law that was hastily introduced this week is a further restriction of freedom of expression in the country. In March, the Russian Duma introduced a new law that makes it possible to punish people with 15 years in prison if they provide “wrong information” about what is happening in Ukraine.
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