September 16, 2024 - Russia, Barnaul

Women Press Freedom stands in solidarity with the unjustly jailed journalist Maria Ponomarenko who has begun a hunger strike to protest her isolation and the false complaints lodged against her by prison authorities.

The RusNews journalist, serving a 6-year sentence for reporting on Russia’s Mariupol airstrike, faces relentless mistreatment behind bars. We condemn these abuses and demand that all fabricated charges be dropped immediately.

Journalism is not a crime — Ponomarenko must be released immediately and unconditionally.