Watchdog condemns arrest of journalists, media workers by Russian authorities

The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the arrest of at least eight journalists and media workers by Russian authorities on fraud and extortion charges. (AFP/File)

• Eight detained after raids on homes between Aug. 1-16, sources say
• News websites and social media have been subject to significant harassment by Moscow

LONDON: The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the arrest of at least eight journalists and media workers by Russian authorities on fraud and extortion charges.
“Russian authorities should immediately release journalists and media workers recently arrested and ensure that the country’s judicial system is not used to silence critical voices,” the CPJ said in a statement on Tuesday.
Russian forces raided homes and carried out eight arrests between Aug. 1-16, according to sources.
Media outlets in the country confirmed that as of Tuesday at least seven journalists and Telegram media employees remained in custody.
Among them are Vladislav Malushenko, Yevgeny Moskvin and Aleksei Slobodenyuk, who run the Telegram channel Scanner.
According to Russian investigative outlet Agentstvo, the channel “is used to discredit those who disagree with the government” and has about 178,000 subscribers.
The three are accused of extorting money from Rostec, the state-owned defense conglomerate, in exchange for not publishing damaging information about the firm. Under Russian law, they face up to six years in jail if found guilty.
As part of efforts to control media coverage in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, news websites and social media have been subject to significant harassment by Moscow since the war began.
As a result, several independent media outlets in the country have shifted or stopped their operations entirely, and often rely on Telegram to share information, specifically news related to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Due to its lack of moderation and clear user guidelines, Telegram has also been used by pro-Russian operators to spread misinformation.
“The press freedom situation in Russia has only become more alarming since the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February,” said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director, in New York.
“Russian authorities are increasingly charging journalists with financial crimes in apparent retaliation for their investigation into business and political issues.
“The Russian judicial system must not be used to silence critical voices, and authorities must immediately release all the journalists and media workers who remain in custody and drop all charges against them,” he added.