Russia: Isabella Yevloyeva Faces 3rd Criminal Case And The Police Break Into Her Parent’s House For ‘Fake Reporting’
Location: RussiaDate: August 8, 2022
Russian authorities opened a criminal case against Isabella Yevloyeva, editor-in-chief of independent news website Fortanga, to become the 3rd criminal case she faced for publishing "fake information" about the Russian military. In beside the police breaking into her parent's house, after the search, Isabella could not contact her parents, as they do not answer calls on their mobile phones. Isabella, currently located outside Russia, was on the country's wanted list.
The charges, searching her parent's house and putting her name on the Russian wanted list came for accusing her of disseminating "fake information" about the use of the Russian army. In March 2022, Russia passed a law against "discrediting" its armed forces after a short time of invading Ukraine. The law carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison besides hefty fines for those convicted under it.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism extends support to Isabella and her family. The CFWIJ asks the Russian authorities to drop all charges against Isabella and other female journalists and calls to stop using the law to intimidate journalists and prevent them from doing their jobs. Especially this came days after the continued legal harassment and multiple fines imposed on former state-run Channel 1 TV editor Marina Ovsyannikova due to the same law the Russian lawmakers adopted in March 2022.
On July 27, Russian authorities opened a new criminal case for disseminating "false information" about the Russian army against Isabella. Due to her posts on her platform Setevye Svobody, the Russian freedom of expression legal service organization she is presenting, and posts she wrote on her website Fortanga's Telegram channel.
Isabella previously faced two similar criminal cases related to her posts published on the website and Telegram channel in March and April. The news was about the Russian army losses in Ukraine, the bombing of a shopping centre in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, and the children's participation in a demonstration supporting the military operation in Ukraine.
In an advance step, Isabella moved the posts from Fortanga’s website to her Telegram account to protect the outlet from being blocked, which was eventually accomplished on March 28, when the Russian state media regulator Roskomnadzor blocked Fortanga’s website.
On June 7, on the following day of notifying her about the charges, the police searched her former home, where her parents lived; she could not contact her parents for a while, as they did not answer calls on their mobile phones. After a day full of worrying, she could reach her parents, who were already home.
"Mom has heart problems, and she spent several hours in the hospital after the visit of the security forces" Isabella mentioned to The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) the impact of this search on her mother's health.
Isabella's family pursuit didn't stop there; she told CFWIJ; Isabella said that the police called her family member one by one for interrogation, her father-in-law and then her mother similarly. Her father-in-law was taken for interrogation right from his sister's funeral, without respect for the dead.
On June 17, her mother was summoned to the Russian Investigative Committee in Ingushetia for questioning about the charges against her daughter, according to local reports.
"When my mom refused to testify against me, the investigator threatened her with criminal liability, which is a gross violation of her rights - close relatives have the right not to testify against each other", Isabella told CFWIJ.
On June 17, her mother was summoned to the Russian Investigative Committee in Ingushetia for questioning about the charges against her daughter, according to local reports.
"When my mom refused to testify against me, the investigator threatened her with criminal liability, which is a gross violation of her rights - close relatives have the right not to testify against each other", Isabella told CFWIJ.
This time the police forces removed all the equipment from her parent's house; They got laptops and phones and did not return them. This wasn't the first time strengths removed the technical equipment; they did before in November 2019.
Isabella is an Ingush journalist, and she thinks the "Caucasian Knot" is a part of the charges she encounters and the consecutive pursuits she faced for years. Significantly, the racial minorities from Ingushetia and Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, moved judicial proceedings, especially against dome journalists who recently covered news related to the war in Ukraine.
Isabella, who lives outside Russia now, temporarily took her mother out of the country to prevent her from facing this subsequent investigation. Still, as she told CFWIJ, her mother needed to return home, so her worries about pressuring her family will not stop. Particularly the officers warned her parents that they would not stop persecuting her if she wouldn't stop engaging in journalistic activities.
"Of course, it is difficult to realize that my family is being bullied because of me. My parents are elderly and live alone; for them, it is a huge stress, which affects their health, and therefore it is a huge stress for me. But the situation is such that I cannot quit my job. The publication I head to is the only independent in the region. And if I stop covering events, Ingushetia will lose its only source of information. The siloviki also know this and put me under pressure through my family because they can't physically reach me", Isabella continued.
In addition to worrying about her family, who faces pursuing because of her journalistic work, Isabella is also concerned about her safety. "About two weeks ago, the Russian authorities put me on the wanted list in Russia and are going to put me on the international wanted list, which may complicate my life" Isabella expressed her continued worry even though she is outside the country.
If Isabella is found guilty and brought to Russia, she could face up to three years in prison, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) extends support to Isabella Yevloyeva, and asks Russian authorities to drop all charges linked to her journalistic work. The CFWIJ asks to stop using laws on “fake” information about the Russian military and government to intimidate journalists who report on the war in Ukraine.
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.
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