A Russian journalist who previously worked for a U.S. government-funded news outlet was sentenced to four years in prison this week in Russia.
On Tuesday, a Russian court sentenced Nika Novak, a journalist and former freelance reporter for the U.S.-backed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, to four years in prison for collaborating with a foreign organization. The case, heard in far eastern Russia, has drawn international criticism over press freedom concerns.
Who Is The Journalist?
Novak, 24, was convicted in a closed trial by the Zabaikalsky Regional Court in Chita on charges of collaborating with a foreign media outlet and producing what authorities described as "false materials" intended to discredit Russia's military and government agencies. The court alleged that her actions were designed to undermine and destabilize the country.
Memorial, an international human rights organization, has categorized Novak as a political prisoner.
In a Telegram post shared on her behalf Tuesday, Novak recounted her transfer from Moscow's infamous Lefortovo Prison to Chita on a flight lasting roughly seven hours. She also revealed that authorities have barred her from contacting her mother, a designated witness in the case, and hinted that her conversations and meetings may have been monitored.
"I feel some pressure, but I try not to lose heart," Novak wrote in the post.
Novak's Arrest
The circumstances surrounding Novak's arrest remain unclear. Siberia.Realities, a branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), reported that Novak had worked as a freelance journalist for the outlet. She also served as editor-in-chief of Zab.ru, a Chita-based news site in Russia's Far East, a region geographically closer to Japan than to Moscow.
In December 2023, Novak was detained in Moscow and subsequently transported over 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles) east to Chita, where her trial was held.
Kremlin critics say Russia has increasingly relied on its foreign agent laws to stifle free speech and target independent media outlets, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
Similar Arrests by Russia
In 2017, Russian authorities ordered Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) to register as a foreign agent, a directive the organization has contested before the European Court of Human Rights. Since then, RFE/RL has faced millions of dollars in fines from Moscow and was officially banned in Russia in February.
Alsu Kurmasheva, a U.S. citizen and journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was convicted in July on charges of disseminating false information about the Russian military. She was later released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Western nations.
OVD-Info, a prominent Russian human rights organization monitoring political arrests, reports that over 1,000 individuals have faced criminal charges for expressing dissent or taking action against the war in Ukraine.
Memorial pointed out that Novak had previously posted remarks on social media that appeared to express support for the war.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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