Location: Russia, Moscow       
Date: May 12, 2022

At least four women journalists were targeted by Russian authorities between May 7 and 9 during Russia’s Victory Day celebrations. Sota.Vision reporter Anna Loiko and  Skat Media reporter Angelina Roshchupko were detained, Viktoria Arefyeva, Sota.Vision reporter was prevented from covering the parade and the home of Skat Media editor Darya Pak was searched in her absence. The Coalition For Women In Journalism calls on Russian authorities to quit harassing journalists and let independent news outlets like Sota Vision and Skat Media work without fear of state retaliation. 

Ahead of May 9, when the country traditionally celebrates the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, police visited the homes of several Sota Vision journalists to deliver a “warning” document. The notice discouraged journalists from participating in Victory Day celebrations.

“Russian authorities were afraid that someone would organize a protest action on May 9 and that someone else would take pictures or write about such protest actions. That’s why they tried to isolate everyone under various pretexts,” Sota.Vision editor Aleksei Obukhov told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Sota.Vision journalist Anna Loiko was arrested by the Second Special Regiment, a special police unit designed to disperse rallies, on May 7 near her home in Moscow.  She was detained overnight. The officer in charge of internal affairs at Khoroshevskoye Police Station informed Obukhov that Anna was being kept there to prevent her from working on May 9. 

Sota Vision reported that Anna was charged with disobedience under Article 19.3 of the administrative code for allegedly refusing to show the police her passport. A court ordered that she be detained for five days. 

Meanwhile, Skat Media’s Angelina Roshchupko was detained on May 8 after her home in Moscow was searched. The journalist was charged under Article 239.3 of the criminal code for “participation in a non-profit organization infringing on people’s identity and rights”. If convicted, Angelina faces up to two years in prison.

On the same day, police raided the house of Skat Media editor Darya Pak, who is currently outside of the country. The charges against her or grounds for the raid were not specified. 

Similarly, Viktoria Arefyeva, another journalist at Sota.Vision was prevented from covering the Victory Day parade on May 9. She was restricted by the police in St. Petersburg despite showing her press accreditation. Officials said she was on a special “list” after which Federal Protective Service officers took her accreditation badge and refused to return it.

Viktoria was taken to Police Station No28 and held for over three hours before being released without explanation or charge. 

On May 10, the Basmanny District Court in Moscow imposed restrictions on Angelina  for two months pending investigation. Under the conditions imposed by court, the journalist cannot leave her home between  8 PM and 8 AM, communicate with other parties in the case, send or receive postal and telegraphic mail. She is only allowed to use the internet and other means of communication for emergency services.

Victory Day celebrations this year took place against the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. It included military parades in Moscow and more than two dozen other cities. The parade had nearly 65,000 people, 2,400 types of weapons and military equipment and more than 460 planes, reported Euronews.

Thousands of citizens have protested the Kremlin’s decision to launch a full-fledged military invasion into Ukraine on February 24, 2022. In attempts to suppress coverage, the authorities have only cracked down harder on members of the independent press. On February 26, state internet regulator Roskomnadzor announced that news outlets can only report official government statements about the invasion of Ukraine. To further muffle independent coverage of the war in Ukraine, the state passed a law on March 4 criminalizing dispension of information about the invasion that the state deems “fake” or “false”. The legislation carries sentences of up to three years in prison and fines for spreading “false” news about the military as well as jail terms of up to 15 years for cases deemed to have led to “severe consequences”. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the arrest, intimidation and legal harassment of women journalists in Russia. We extend solidarity to Anna Loiko, Angelina Roshchupko, Viktoria Arefyeva and Darya Pak and others who are working around the clock to keep Russian citizens, and the global community at large, informed. The war in Ukraine has severely compromised and endangered journalists in both the countries as Kremlin forces attempt to suppress independent coverage. We call on the authorities in Russia to end their onslaught against the press and allow journalists to do their work freely.

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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