The closure of "Novaya Gazeta"* has raised questions about the fate of the Politkovskaya Museum.
"Novaya Gazeta"* announced its closure due to an eviction demand and the disconnection of the donation collection system. Together with the editorial office, the Anna Politkovskaya Museum is also closing.
"Novaya Gazeta"* announced the cessation of operations after 33 years since its founding. The decision to close was made at a general staff meeting on October 26.
"On November 9, we will turn off the lights in our home, where we have lived for 30 years, shut down the servers, and leave. There is no more newspaper," the statement published on the publication's Telegram channel on October 30 says.
"At the same time as the eviction letter, the donation system that allowed us to receive contributions from our readers was disconnected. That is, we were deprived of funds. Completely," the statement indicates.
The editorial office writes, and in private conversations, people say — it is not us who closed, it is us who were killed, journalist Ksenia Sobchak pointed out. "And after all, for the sake of journalism, freedom of speech, our society, people from Novaya* sacrificed their lives, and not once. I understand that a criminal case and various labels, like extremism and undesirability, have loomed on the horizon. And even enemies would not wish Russian prison on everyone, let alone their own. Especially for politics, for words," she wrote in her Telegram channel.
The editor-in-chief of the publication, Sergey Sokolov, reported that the editorial office was given little time to pack. The editor-in-chief added that along with the editorial office, the Anna Politkovskaya Museum is also closing, RBC writes.
The museum was opened on October 7, 2021, on the 15th anniversary of the journalist's murder, in her former office No. 307. The exhibition preserved a writing desk, computer, glasses, letters, and other personal belongings of Politkovskaya, the message states.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on the 20th anniversary of journalist Anna Politkovskaya's murder, commemorative events took place in Moscow near the house where she lived and was shot. Police were on duty nearby, called by dissatisfied residents. People who brought flowers said they came to demonstrate respect for Politkovskaya's memory and show journalistic solidarity.
Anna Politkovskaya, known for her articles on the war and human rights violations in Chechnya, was murdered in Moscow on October 7, 2006. The court found that the murder was organized by Lom-Ali Gaitukayev, who was sentenced to life imprisonment. Rustam Makhmudov was recognized as the direct executor, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "The Murder of Anna Politkovskaya".
It should be noted that "Novaya Gazeta"* has been investigating facts of mass arrests without trial, torture, executions, and "cookie-cutter" convictions of more than 100 people in Chechnya since early 2017. The publication's journalist Elena Milashina has repeatedly published investigations into human rights violations in Chechnya and has received threats from supporters of the republic's leadership in this regard, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Abductions, Torture, and Executions in Chechnya – Years of Investigation by Elena Milashina".
The editor-in-chief of "Novaya Gazeta"* Dmitry Muratov* was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2021. The reason for this was the publication's efforts "to protect freedom of expression," the Nobel Committee explained.
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* included by the Ministry of Justice of Russia in the register of foreign agents.
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