Moscow court fines Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov and Novaya Gazeta over missing ‘prohibited organization’ disclaimer

A Moscow court has fined Novaya Gazeta and its editor-in-chief, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov, for failing to appropriately label a “prohibited organization” in the newspaper’s reporting. 

On January 14, the court found Novaya Gazeta and Muratov guilty of violating Administrative Code Article 13.15, part 2 — abusing freedom of mass information. The court fined the newspaper 40,000 rubles ($520) and its editor-in-chief 4,000 rubles ($52). 

Spokespeople for the court who confirmed the fines to Interfax did not disclose the name of the “prohibited organization” in question. 

Novaya Gazeta editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize alongside Maria Ressa, the CEO of the Philippine news outlet Rappler. Muratov donated part of the prize money to charitable organizations.

Muratov receiving the award provoked fears that the Russian authorities would use the prize money as a pretense for blacklisting Novaya Gazeta as “foreign agent.” Russian President Vladimir Putin even stated that the Nobel Prize wouldn’t “shield” Muratov, underscoring that the laureate could indeed be labeled a “foreign agent” if he breaks the law.

In November 2021, a Moscow court handed down six fines totaling 132,000 rubles ($1,820) to Novaya Gazeta and Muratov for allegedly failing to disclose the status of “foreign agents” mentioned in the newspaper’s articles.