Today, on 20 June, a group of Swiss citizens who believe that freedom of expression is more important than the will of dictators, announce the foundation of Friends of Novaya Gazeta Europe. This voluntary association, established in accordance with Swiss law, will help us sponsor our newly created independent media outlet by collecting membership fees and donations from all over the world.
“As a journalist from a safe and neutral country, I was looking for a way to support my Russian colleagues who were in great danger and had to flee Russia just to keep doing their job,” says Daniel Thüler, founder and chairman of Friends of Novaya Gazeta Europe. “As a longtime editor-in-chief, I can imagine how difficult it might be to establish a new media outlet and provide it with enough money to last long, especially against the background of the Ukraine War and Russia’s violent censorship policy.“ Tatiana Skakauskis and Dieter Herzmann, also Swiss nationals, joined Thüler as co-founders.
The main goal of Friends of Novaya Gazeta Europe is to promote freedom of speech through supporting Novaya Gazeta Europe financially using a small board of volunteers and a multitude of members to ensure an optimal cost-income-ratio. A democratic form of incorporation known as Verein provides the following benefits to its members: full financial transparency, active participation in the organisation’s affairs, right of vote (including annual financial meetings), and much more. You can find out more about the organisation and sign up for membership on our webpage.
There are three membership plans as of 2022:
- Individual membership: 60 CHF/€ annual fee (tied to Dmitry Muratov’s age; grows 1 CHF/€ each year)
- Individual membership Plus: 300 CHF/€ annual fee
- Collective membership (for companies & organisations): 180 CHF/€ annual fee
Donations of any amount are also welcome. Please note that any donations over 10,000 CHF/€ must be registered with the association before the money is transferred to satisfy the Swiss compliance law.
“Russia’s independent journalists have been fighting their battle against Putin’s dictatorship for many years. We have never relied on anyone but the common people. Today, same as in the 19th and 20th centuries, Europe is to protect the freedom of expression once more”, says Kirill Martynov, Novaya Gazeta Europe’s editor-in-chief. “I wish to thank our Swiss friends who have pioneered the support for Russian-language independent media in general and particularly for Novaya Gazeta Europe.”