Russia: Svetlana Reiter Faces Prosecution for Association with Meduza
Legal harassment linked to the journalist’s interview with Navalny’s lawyer
Location: Russia, Moscow
Date: May 21, 2024
Women Press Freedom denounces the administrative charges brought against Svetlana Reiter, an award-winning investigative journalist, for her association with the media outlet Meduza, which Russian authorities designated as an undesirable organization and a foreign agent. Although the exact reason for her prosecution is unknown, local reports suggest that her interview with Alexei Navalny’s lawyer triggered the charges. Russian authorities’ labeling of Meduza as an “undesirable organization” and “foreign agent” has severe implications for journalists reporting for the independent outlet. Several journalists working for Meduza are facing legal challenges, including financial penalties and potential imprisonment. The use of these legal tools against journalists like Svetlana Reiter represents a growing crackdown on independent journalism inside and outside Russia, aiming to stifle dissent and control the narrative in the media. We demand that all charges against Reiter and her colleagues be dropped immediately.
WPF welcomes the judgment of the Fair Work Commission that found that broadcaster Antoinette Lattouf was fired by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) following a social media post by Lattouf sharing a Human Rights Watch claim about Israel's actions in Gaza.
WPF is deeply concerned for the safety of press workers in Georgia following the disputed elections marred by violence, allegations of vote rigging, and claims of electoral misconduct. Throughout election day, journalists reporting at polling stations faced assaults, intimidation, and obstruction, highlighting the growing dangers for independent media covering politically sensitive events in the country
Women Press Freedom stands resolutely in solidarity with Arzu Yıldız, an investigative journalist from Turkiye forced into exile after facing persistent threats and persecution for her work. Yıldız's experience is emblematic of the broader crackdown on press freedom under President Tayyip Erdoğan's regime, where dissent is aggressively stifled. We unequivocally condemn the targeting and persecution of journalists by President Tayyip Erdoğan's government.
On May 21, 2024, it was announced that exiled journalist Svetlana Reiter faces prosecution under Article 20.33 of the Russian Administrative Code. This law penalizes participation in the activities of “an undesirable organization.” Sanctions under this article include fines of up to 15,000 rubles ($169).
Reiter is a well-known journalist, winner of the PolitProsvet journalistic award, and a multiple winner of the Editorial Board award in Russia.
The journalist's persecution stems from Reiter’s interview with Alexei Navalny’s lawyer, Olga Mikhailova, published in Meduza in March 2024. Reiter has stated that she was aware of the investigation.
Meduza has declined to comment on the situation. Reiter is scheduled to appear before the Moscow Magistrates' Court in June 2024.
Independent media outlet Meduza, which now operates in exile, was declared “undesirable” in January 2023. The Russian authorities have ramped up prosecutions for alleged involvement with media outlets declared “undesirable” in recent months, according to Mediazona, with at least 19 cases filed since the start of 2024.
In a similar case last month, fellow Meduza journalist Anastasia Zhvik, who also lives outside of Russia, was issued a protocol for being involved with an "undesirable" organization by the Leninsky District Court in Russian-annexed Sevastopol, Crimea. This case stemmed from Zhvik's writings for Meduza.
Russia’s "foreign agent" and "undesirable organization" laws are instruments of repression designed to silence independent media and restrict the free flow of information. The Kremlin has repeatedly used these laws to target journalists at home and abroad, as documented by Women Press Freedom, including Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva who has been unjustly detained for ten months for supposedly violating the “foreign agent” law. We vehemently condemn the weaponization of legal tools to harass and charge journalists. We demand all charges against Svetlana Reiter and her colleagues be dropped and call for Russia to cease its persecution of the independent press.
WPF is deeply saddened by the death of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roschyna, who died under unclear circumstances while being transferred to a Moscow prison. The circumstances of her death remain uncertain, but one fact is clear: the Kremlin bears responsibility.
WPF strongly condemns the criminal charges brought against Ukrainian journalists Diana Butsko, Olesya Borovik, and CNN’s Nick Peyton Walsh by Russian federal security services for their coverage of Ukrainian military incursion into the Kursk region.
WPF is alarmed that the well-known journalist is facing issues traveling due to the Kremlin’s concerted and unjust transnational repression tactics
WPF strongly condemns Moscow's legal threats against Italian journalists Stefania Battistini and Simone Traini, who work for the Italian public broadcaster RAI. The journalists stand accused of "illegal border-crossing" after reporting on Ukraine’s counter-invasion in Russia's Kursk region.
WPF is delighted that Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva has been released from prison in Russia and is finally, after ten grueling months, able to return home to family in Prague.
WPF condemns the sentencing of Ukrainian TV presenter Natalia Moseychuk to five years in prison by a Moscow court, in yet another transnational repression attack on press freedom.
WPF condemns the Kremlin’s relentless legal harassment of exiled journalists under “foreign agent” law.
Elizaveta Surnacheva is now facing a second prosecution for failing to comply with the reporting requirements imposed on those labeled as “foreign agents.”
Olga Komleva, a reporter and activist from Ufa, is facing mounting legal pressures and accusations.
In a stark affront to press freedom, a Russian court has convicted American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva in a secret trial, sentencing her to six and a half years in prison.
Exiled journalist Lyudmila Savitskaya has been subjected to continuous legal and financial harassment by the Russian regime, WPF is worryingly documenting.
War photographers Olga Kovalova and Vladyslav Krasnoshchok were injured by Russian shelling while covering the conflict in Toretsk, Donetsk.
Women Press Freedom condemns the continued persecution of journalist who has faced years of harassment.
WPF strongly condemns the ongoing persecution of journalists by the Russian government, which continues to label independent news outlets as “undesirable.”
WPF strongly denounces this transnational repression and calls on the international community to stand in solidarity with Taratuta and other exiled journalists who remain vulnerable to state-sanctioned reprisals from Russia for continuing to report.
Russian-US journalist and author Masha Gessen was convicted in absentia by a Moscow court on charges of spreading false information about the military.
The Kremlin has initiated yet another deplorable attack on press freedom by opening an administrative case against exiled journalist Yulia Latynina.
The Interior Ministry issues arrest warrants for at least 13 women and non-binary journalists.
Court arrests Lazareva in absentia following search warrant by Ministry of Internal Affairs. The renowned journalist is unjustly accused of justifying terrorism.
The deepfake targeting France 24 and journalist Catalina Marchant de Abreu is a serious threat to press freedom and public trust.
WPF vehemently condemns the recent decision by a St. Petersburg court to label the journalist couple Lydia Nevzorova and Aleksandr Nevzorov as an “extremist union.”
WPF denounces additional fines slapped on Baranova for “failure to comply with foreign agent law”
Russian military forces detained Zhanna Kyseliova, editor of the Kakhovska Zoria newspaper, on June 27, 2024, in Kakhovka, Kherson, following a raid on her apartment.
WPF denounces Russia’s decision to revoke the accreditation of Carola Schneider, a seasoned Moscow correspondent for Austria’s ORF.
WPF unequivocally condemns the Kremlin’s persistent and cynical use of transnational repression to silence dissenting voices, both domestically and abroad.
Arrested in absentia, journalist Ekaterina Fomina faces charges for disseminating "fakes" about the Russian army — a clear retaliation against her investigative reporting, which exposed a Russian soldier's confession to murder in Ukraine.
WPF condemns in the strongest terms the Russian Foreign Ministry's decision to revoke the accreditation of Austrian journalist Maria Knips-Witting and order her expulsion from the country.
WPF condemns in the strongest terms the recent actions taken by Rosfinmonitorin in designating journalists Maria Menshikova and Anna Loiko as “terrorists and extremists.”
Victoria Roshchyna, a Ukrainian journalist who went missing in August 2023, is being held by Russia’s Ministry of Defence, WPF can confirm.
Women Press Freedom is an initiative by The Coalition For Women In Journalism
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.