I am deeply concerned -- and saddened -- by the announcement today by the highly respected and fiercely independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper that it is being forced to close, in yet another devastating blow for remaining independent media in the Russian Federation.
Independent journalism in the country has faced mounting restrictions and pressure for many years, but these have intensified significantly since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, through increasingly restrictive legislation, tighter State controls and the harassment and persecution of journalists.
Throughout its history, Novaya Gazeta and its journalists have made an exceptional contribution to independent reporting and the defence of human rights, often at great personal risk. Its journalists have faced harassment, lawsuits, threats and direct violence. Among them was Anna Politkovskaya, murdered in 2006 following her reporting on human rights violations in the course of Russia's military operations in Chechnya.
We have repeatedly expressed our concern about the broad clampdown on free media, including the so-called 'foreign agent' law and its deeply chilling effects on the free exercise of civil and political rights. This legislation has often been invoked to limit or deny the exercise of the rights to free expression, peaceful assembly and association, among others, protected under international human rights law.
I call on the Russian authorities to stop applying measures which stifle reporting on serious issues of legitimate public concern, and to allow full and free debate with a diversity of voices, including in the media and across the public square, in line with international standards.
