The Prosecutor General’s Office has recognized the publication Meduza as an undesirable organization in Russia

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has recognized Meduza’s legal entity in Latvia, SIA “Medusa Project”, as an undesirable organization in Russia.

The status means that cooperation with the publication can become grounds for criminal prosecution for Russian citizens. Previously, the editorial staff of publications Proekt and The Insider were on the list of undesirable organizations.

The statute actually prohibits the organization’s work in Russia, but it is rarely applied to the media. Explaining the reasons for adding the editorial board to the list, the attorney general’s office used the traditional wording in such cases, stating that the legal entity of the publication “poses a threat to the foundations of order Constitutional and Security of the Russian Federation.”

Meduza was founded in 2014, the editorial office was launched in Riga. It is one of the most popular news sites in Russia. The backbone of the team at the time of the launch consisted of journalists who left the Lenta.ru project, which was censored after the start of events on the Maidan.

In April 2021, the editorial staff was recognized in Russia as a “foreign agent”. The editorial staff found itself without advertisers, it had to give up offices in Riga and Moscow, reduce costs and practically stop cooperating with freelance writers.

After the decision to recognize Meduza as an undesirable organization, the publication stopped labeling its materials as a “foreign agent”.

Meduza publishes the reactions of the journalistic community to the decision of the Russian authorities. The publication was supported by Dozhd, Republic, Paper, Novaya Gazeta, among others. Europe”, “Project”, “Agency”, “Mediazona”, Alexei Venediktov, Farida Rustamova, Katerina Gordeeva and other media and journalists.