Russia: CFWIJ condemns the detentionS and legal harassment Against women journalists

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April 24, 2021 - Russian law enforcement authorities detained at least three women journalists from different parts of the country while they were covering pro-Navalny protests. Yulia Suguyeva, Bariyat Idrisova, Ksenia Klochkova were detained in Makhachkala and Saint Petersburg. Yulia and Bariyat are correspondents for independent news website Mediazona. According to the journalist, they did show their press credentials to police but they were taken into a minibus along with other detainees. In Saint Petersburg, Ksenia Klochova, a correspondent for independent news website, Fontanka was investigated allegedly for causing obstruction in the movement of traffic during a protest. She was not detained but police searched her house. CFWIJ is alarmed by yet another wave of legal persecution and harassment against women journalists, covering protests. We demand that Russian authorities end targeting women journalists for doing their job and let them report freely.

According to the reports at least ten journalists were detained during the latest protest around the country on 21 April. In women journalists, Yulia Suguyeva was the first one who was detained by the police in Makhachkala. Yulia reports for the independent news website, Medizona. The journalist stated that she informed police officials that she was on a work assignment. She was interrogated and police officials tried to take her pictures also but the journalist refused.

Bariyat Idrisova, another female correspondent for Mediazona was assaulted during her arrest. The journalist was filming the protest in Makhachkala, the capital of the Caucasian Republic of Dagestan. Two officials dressed in plain clothes reportedly arrested her and grabbed her phone. Bariyat stated that the men dragged her during the detention and violently twisted her wrist. She was transported into a minibus with other detainees. She was released after 15-20 minutes and her phone was returned. The officials pushed her to delete everything she had filmed. The journalist refused and said that everything that she has filmed is already reported.  

In Saint Petersburg, Police conducted a search in the apartment of Kseniya Klochkova to intimidate her. The journalist was not detained at the time of the house search but police informed her of the motive behind it. The search was done in order to investigate the journalist’s role in obstructing the free flow of traffic during a protest. If Kseniya gets convicted under these charges, she may face imprisonment for up to one year. Following the previous pro-Navalny demonstrations held in January police also made “preventive visits” to the homes of other women journalists including Nikita Sologub, a correspondent for Mediazona, and Nikita Girin of Novaya Gazeta. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is alarmed by the persistent legal harassment in Russia against women journalists. We believe that these women journalists are dedicated and sincere to their job and they must not be persecuted for carrying it out in complete honesty. Russian Federation needs to stop targeting critical voices and let press freedom flourish in the country. We stand in solidarity with these women journalists and offer them our full support.