Russia ( Europe Brief News): Russia has launched a criminal case against a Latvia-based journalist for critical reporting on the Ukraine war, escalating media crackdowns amid conflict.
The case against Galina Timchenko, a Russian-born co-founder and head of the Meduza journal, has been initiated, according to the Moscow division of the committee, which handles significant criminal cases in Russia.
The case was based on planning an “undesirable organization’s” actions and sharing films of those events “to foment protest sentiment and to involve the public in the activities” of that organization, according to the statement.
Institutions that are judged “undesirable” because they jeopardize Russia’s constitutional order may face penalties or dissolution decrees.
In an online announcement, Meduza, which provides in-depth coverage of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor, stated that Timchenko may be imprisoned for up to six years if found guilty.
Timchenko, who has previously led well-known Russian periodicals, was labeled a “foreign agent” last year. This title has bad connotations from the Soviet era and comes with onerous bureaucratic procedures.
The appellation has been applied to hundreds of Russian citizens.
Parliament has enacted laws that tough down on dissent in Ukraine after Russia dispatched tens of thousands of troops there in February 2022. These laws include fines and jail time for publishing false information about the army or criticizing it.
How has Meduza responded to the criminal case against Timchenko?
Meduza has vehemently denounced the criminal lawsuit brought against its CEO and co-founder Galina Timchenko, seeing it as a component of a larger effort by Russian authorities to stifle independent reporting that challenges the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.
The outlet emphasizes that the accusations are related to Timchenko’s role as the head of Meduza, which was declared an “undesirable organization” in Russia in 2023, thereby outlawing its activities there.
Targeting Timchenko for releasing films and other content that reveal the truth about the conflict and contradict the official Russian narrative, Meduza highlights that the lawsuit is politically motivated.
The group emphasizes that Timchenko is still in charge of Meduza’s editorial activities while living abroad and will not back down or stop covering the story.
