Kirill Martynov. Photo: Novaya Gazeta Europe
A Moscow court arrested Novaya Gazeta Europe editor-in-chief Kirill Martynov in absentia on Wednesday for running an “undesirable” organisation, a term introduced by the Kremlin to denote any organisation it has chosen to ban.
The court ruled that Martynov, who has lived in exile in Latvia since 2022, could be placed in pretrial custody for up to two months should he ever re-enter Russia, and put him on the country’s international wanted list.
“I entered my cell in absentia and am now preparing to serve my sentence in absentia in the name of a country that has taken leave of its senses,” Martynov told Novaya Gazeta Europe. “It’s a pity that this excuse for a state has not only started a war but is also engaged in shameful activities such as fake arrests. … Novaya Europe will continue its work, which is far more important.”
Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Martynov, who has edited Novaya Gazeta Europe since its founding in 2022, for running an “undesirable” organisation on 19 September.
Martynov’s association with both Novaya Gazeta Europe and the Free University, which he co-founded, and which has also been deemed “undesirable” was cited as the reason for the criminal charges against him.
Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office declared Novaya Gazeta Europe “undesirable” on 28 June 2023, a status that has also been awarded to nearly all other Russian independent media outlets including Meduza, IStories, TV Dozhd, Proekt, DOXA, and The Insider.
