Russia: Dozens of Journalists Arrested, Including Five Women Detained Over Protest Crackdown

Location: Russia, Moscow   
Date: September 21, 2022

Russian Police have detained hundreds of people and at least 18 journalists across the country in recent days, including five women journalists, following opposition protests on September 21, 2022, against military mobilization order to recruit and send more Russians to fight the Ukrainian war. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the arrests of journalists Yekaterina Parfenova, Natalia Baranova, Nailya Mullayeva, Kseniya Khabibulina and Viktoria Arefyeva. CFWIJ calls on authorities to stop threatening journalists and those arrested. We urge authorities to ensure the safety of journalists and respect the principles of press freedom in the country.

·        Yekaterina Parfenova, a correspondent for independent online outlet SOTA, was detained on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, reporting from the northern city of Arkhangelsk. It is reported that the police obstructed her while doing her job, ripped her jacked, took her press card and tried to take her phone which later was returned only at the police station. She was released later that evening.

·        Natalia Baranova, a journalist with local independent news website Tomiks, was also detained on Wednesday, September 21, In the western city of Vladimir. Natalia was wearing her press vest and had a press card when she was stopped by the police.  She was released later that day, according to news reports.

·        Nailya Mullayeva, journalists at Sota Vision, and her colleague, were detained while covering the protest in the western city of Kazan on Wednesday, September 21. She was held for no reason at the police station in Kazan and then released the next day, on Thursday. On September 23, Nailya was charged with participating in a protest that caused obstruction, but it was not specified what penalties she is facing.

·        Kseniya Khabibulina, a journalist with independent Telegram channel Baza, was detained on Friday, September 23, 2022 in Moscow, while filming and interviewing young men who had been drafted into a military recruitment center. Kseniya showed the police who approached her the editorial task and passport, but she was taken to the police department anyway according to her. She was released without any charger later in the day.

·        Viktoria Arefyeva, Sota journalist, was detained on Saturday, September 24. Police had her home searched and seized technical equipment. She was suspected in a criminal case and then released after two days.  According to her outlet, it is believed that her baseless detentions happened to prevent her from covering the Saturday protest.

Extensive demonstrations have erupted since government plans were announced on September 21, 2022 to recruit 300.000 reservists with previous military experience to reinforce the Russian army in Ukraine, while people are forced to go to war. Many reports have emerged of men being recruited from across the country receiving military summons, including some of those arrested for protesting in Moscow reported being given their draft papers after being detained. People show fear, and oppose the war while saying they don’t want to go to war for Putin. Meanwhile harsh punishments are imposed for those who attempt to desert the military or refuse to go to war. A lot of Russians continue to flee mobilization seeking to leave the country.

Following the mobilization protest, authorities in Russia have threatened independent media and have exercised effort to control the narrative about war and organizing against it. Unsanctioned rallies are prohibited under Russian law. Russia’s media regulator issued instructions to journalists to use only official sources of information while silencing independent media. According to new legislation, persons who disseminate “false information” about the war or Russian military could face up to 15 years in prison. Regarding digital space, an increasing number of websites are blocked and access to western social media platforms have been restricted, while a lot of tech companies are leaving the country.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the latest crackdown on press freedom and journalists across Russia. We firmly believe that no journalists should face harassment for doing their job. CFWIJ welcomes women journalists release & calls authorities to stop harassing journalists on baseless charges.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.