
20
Nov 2018
Lvl. 1
No state reply yet
Alert created on: 29 Oct 2018
n° 120/2018
Russian Federation
Heavy Fine Against Independent News Website The New Times
Source of threatState
CategoryOther acts having chilling effects on media freedom
No state reply yet
On 26 October, Moscow's Tverskoi District Court imposed fines of 22.250.000 rubles (EUR 300.000) against the independent online news website "The New Times" and 30.000 rubles (EUR 400) against the website's editor, Yevgenia Albats, for allegedly failing to comply with financial reporting obligations under Russia's controversial "foreign agents" law. In an interview with RFE/RL, Yevgenia Albats said she believed the court decision was intended to punish her for an interview she conducted on the Ekho Moskvy radio station earlier in the week with opposition politician Aleksei Navalny. The Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) issued a statement, on 28 October, condemning this unprecedented court decision as an obvious move to shut down "The New Times".
Updates
20 Nov 2018
On 20 November 2018, a Moscow court upheld the administrative fine imposed on The New Times magazine for overdue notification about foreign sources of financing.
Additional Information
- Update to Mapping Media Freedom report "Russia/Россия: Independent magazine slapped with huge fine over foreign funding": "'The New Times' raises money to pay fine through crowdfunding"
- CPJ report: "Russia uses 'foreign agents' law to hit independent outlet with massive fine"
- Statement of the European Federation of Journalists: "Russia: record fine against The New Times"
- RFE/RL news report: "OSCE Slams Moscow For Heavy Fine Against Independent News Website"
- Statement of the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) (in Russian): "Заявление Союза журналистов России по ситуации с журналом 'The New Times'"
- Mapping Media Freedom report: "Russia/Россия: Independent magazine slapped with huge fine over foreign funding"
- RSF statement: "Russia: Astronomical fine is “death sentence” for opposition New Times magazine"
Follow-ups

OSCE Reprensentative on Freedom of the Media: "High fine threatening closure of online Russian news outlet is detrimental to freedom of media, says OSCE media freedom representative"

Council of Europe Secretary General : "Excessive fine for ‘New Times’ endangers media pluralism and press freedom"