The Syndicate-100 Association of Independent Russian Media has released a statement on the inclusion of the Project Media Outlet in the list of undesirable organizations and its journalists being labeled as foreign agents. The association’s representatives believe that journalists are "completely deprived" from their right to change Russia's reality.
The 7x7 Online Newspaper is publishing the full text of the statement.
The Ministry of Justice has labeled eight Russian journalists as foreign agents: Project’s editor-in-chief Roman Badanin*, correspondents Pyotr Manyakhin*, Olga Churakova*, Maria Zheleznova*, Yulia Lukyanova*, Radio Svoboda’s* journalist (also labeled as a foreign agent) Elizaveta Maetnaya*, Otkrytye Media’s (‘open media’) editor-in-chief and deputy editor-in-chief Yulia Yarosh* and Maxim Glikin*.
The very enumeration is frightening. We hate to call it a “hit list”.
The Prosecutor General's Office has also labeled Project as an undesirable organization. This is the first undesirable media outlet in Russia. From now on, media are officially undesirable.
When the modern Russian foreign agency establishment was in its infancy, it looked like the door was being propped with a stick at its handle.
When the first media were included in the list (not so long ago, in 2017), it looked like it was being filled with foam seal.
Then there was Safronov’s case, searches at Roman Anin's, Meduza* became a foreign agent, the journalists of Vaznye Istorii (‘important stories’) and Project’s employees were searched, and it became clear that the door was being boarded up.
What we see now is the windows being boarded up.
Those who are in the room can only document what is happening. A muscular hand with a hammer works against our will.
We are going to document everything while the light is still coming in...
