Russia has declared the independent media outlet Meduza “undesirable”.

The General Prosecutor’s Office of Russia decided on Thursday to classify the organization as “undesirable”. of the independent news portal MeduzaRussian journalists have founded in Latvia and claim that their activities are “a threat” to the “constitutional order”.

“It was established that their activities threaten the foundations of the constitutional order and security of the Russian Federation,” said the statement of the General Prosecutor’s Office.

The decision was sent to the Ministry of Justice to include Meduza Project SIA in the list of foreign and international non-governmental organizations whose activities are recognized as undesirable on the territory of Russia.

“Medusa was declared an “undesirable” organization in Russia. In other words, the work of our newsroom in the country – our country of origin – is completely prohibited,” said the media outlet, whose journalists promise us. Public letter They will continue to work and he promises that they will find a way to “work in new conditions and be close” to the readers.

“Now I would like to say that we are not afraid or interested in the new state, but this is not true. We fear for our readers. We are afraid for those who have worked with Medusa for many years. We are afraid of our relatives and friends,” the letter says. “However, we believe in what we do. We believe in freedom of expression. We believe in democratic Russia. The stronger the pressure, the stronger we resist it.”

The publication, a Russian-language edition, was already blocked from being read online in Russia and was declared a “foreign agent” on April 23, 2021. The crackdown on media and journalists has intensified since Russia invaded Ukraine last year.

More media in the list

In addition to Medusa, other independent media, including Dozhdi TV and Mediazone, as well as dozens of journalists and public figures, were added to the same “foreign agents” list. The law on “undesirable” organizations was adopted in 2015, Meduza recalls.

The Prosecutor General’s Office can, under this law, grant this status to any foreign or international non-governmental organization if it decides that its activities threaten “the foundations of Russia’s constitutional order, defense capabilities or security.”

A person can be punished for participating in these organizations or even cooperating with them in any way.

In March last year, a month after the start of the Russian invasion, independent UN experts condemned the Russian government’s crackdown on the media and journalists, and expressed concern that there was “a complete blackout of information about the war”.