Russian independent media closes publication under pressure from authorities... Nobel Prize: “Stop oppression” (comprehensive)

AFP news agency and others reported that Russia's independent media outlet Novaya Gazeta announced its closure on the 30th (local time) amid pressure from the authorities.

The media's editor-in-chief, Sergei Sokolov, posted a video statement on YouTube, saying, "Novaya Gazeta has been murdered," and "Novaya Gazeta will now end its existence."

Editor-in-Chief Sokolov claimed, “Russian authorities and intelligence agencies forced the editorial department to suspend its activities.”

AFP evaluated Novaya Gazeta, which was founded as a daily newspaper in 1993, as a media that was trusted by the outside world for its reports on human rights.

Journalists at this media outlet have faced many difficulties over the past few years.

Anna Politkovskaya, a journalist for this media outlet who had spent several years in investigative reporting highlighting allegations of human rights violations by the Russian military during the Chechen war, was found dead in the apartment building where she lived in October 2006.

Founder Dmitry Muratov shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, but two years later, Russian authorities designated him a 'foreign agent', equivalent to a spy, and he had to step down from his position as editor-in-chief shortly after.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which organizes the Nobel Peace Prize, urged Russian authorities to "stop suppressing independent media."

In an emailed statement to AFP, Nobel Committee Chairman Jørgen Vatne Friednes criticized, "This closure is a serious blow to freedom of expression and the public's right to know."