Russia: Journalist Natalia Zubkova Is The First Target Of New Libel Law

Location: Russia
Date: January 2, 2021

The first journalist to suffer from the new defamation bill, introduced by the State Duma deputy, is Editor-in-chief of Novosti Kiselevsk, Natalia Zubkova. The journalist was summoned for interrogation as part of a case launched by the city prosecutor, Alexey Trefilov. The journalist is under investigation for her article that exposed the deplorable conditions of a local school. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) is deeply concerned for Natalia’s safety amid this intimidating behavior. CFWIJ firmly believes that no journalist should be subjected to such disturbing treatment for simply doing their job.

The story was reported by the local newspaper Abazhur, referencing Natalia directly. Natalia Zubkova tried to file a complaint regarding the unlawful publishing of personal data, but the authorities instead launched a criminal defamation case against her. Natalia Zubkova, who works for Novosti Kiselevska, received death threats after publishing an article about the school’s negligence. She was targeted with threats of being publicly executed or burned alive.

Natalia stated that the charges are related to "the case of school number 24". The publication "Novosti Kiselevsk" presented the details on how the parent committee of the school collected money for light bulbs, despite having enough funds in the existing budget. 

According to Natalia, parents of a schoolboy from school No. 24, in the city of Kiselevsk, approached the journalist and exposed the school committee for demanding money for light bulbs. The parents then tried to speak to the director, but their request was not met. They were instead redirected, told that the issue should be discussed with the parental committee. At this point, a bystander overheard and recorded the dialogue and shared it with Natalia.  Natalia later published an article about the school’s questionable activity and released the corresponding video.

Natalia went ahead and issued an excerpt from a survey evaluating the poor condition of the school.  The report stated that the school was no longer in safe condition for continued activity. Therefore concluding that the necessary renovations needed to ensure seismic stability were not cost-effective nor advisable given the current state of the school.  City deputies and the city prosecutor's office refused to acknowledge these claims and attested that there were no problems with the school building.

The journalist discovered that in 2019, the school was allocated funds of 32 million rubles. At the same time, the school building was reinforced with the support of iron brackets. Despite the adjustments, cracks now run from the base of the building to the roof. In her opinion, the building is in shambles. When this information came out on the internet, one of the users began to defend the headmaster, insisting the director must not be filmed on the phone.

Natalia took a stand to defend the people’s rights, who reached out to her and complained about what was happening at the school. In fighting for this legitimate cause, Natalia faced online threats demanding that she delete her articles or continue to be harassed. She complained about this to the authorities but her request was dismissed. 

The journalist also said that she is worried about the well-being of her children amidst the repeated threats.  The new law on defamation, formulated by the State Duma deputy Dmitry Vyatkin, allows the introduction of criminal proceedings for the spread of criticism on the Internet. The President signed the bill on New Year’s Eve, and the new rules have already come into effect. According to the new law, anyone complicit in online slander or criticism can be fined up to 5 million rubles or face imprisonment for up to five years.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism reiterates that journalists must not be prosecuted nor threatened for doing their job.  We urge the authorities to discourage the practice of intimidating journalists and respect press freedom in their country.

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

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