The Sevastopol court received a case of participation in an “undesirable organization” against a journalist

On April 23, the Leninsky District Court of annexed Sevastopol registered an administrative case against journalist Anastasia Zhvik for participation in the activities of an “undesirable organization” (Article 20.33 of the Administrative Code). Mediazona drew attention to the case file on the court’s website.

Zhvik is not located in Russia. The court plans to consider the materials of her case on May 23.

The publication’s journalists clarify that Zhvik’s articles published on Meduza became a likely reason for the persecution. The journalist herself refused to give Mediazona a comment regarding the administrative case. In addition to Meduza, she collaborated with a number of other publications.

On December 23, 2022, Anastasia Zhvik was recognized as a “foreign agent.” In addition, in 2022 and 2023, she was fined twice under the article on discrediting the Russian army (Part 1 of Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code) due to anti-war publications on Instagram.

Meduza was recognized as an “undesirable organization” in January 2023.

• Since 2015, according to Russian legislation, foreign or international organizations that, in the opinion of the authorities, pose a “threat to the foundations of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation, the defense capability of the country or the security of the state” can be recognized as “undesirable.” Such organizations are prohibited from operating in the country, and a number of other restrictions are also imposed on them – for example, they are not allowed to distribute information materials in Russia. The decision on recognition is made by the Prosecutor General’s Office in agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. More information about which organizations were included in the list can be found in the OVD-Info project “Inoteka”.
• For participation in the activities of an “undesirable organization,” administrative liability is provided (Article 20.33 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, the maximum penalty is a fine of up to 15 thousand rubles for citizens), and with repeated participation, criminal liability (Part 1 of Article 284.1 of the Criminal Code, the maximum penalty is imprisonment for up to four years). Article 284.1 also applies to financing or organizing the activities of an “undesirable organization”, in which case the punishment can be up to five and up to six years in prison, respectively.
• Human rights organization Amnesty International called the “undesirable organizations” law a way to “vilify independent NGOs, deprive them of funding and impose harsh penalties on their members.” The law, according to human rights activists, is used “to combat dissent and stifle freedom of expression and independent civil society organizations in Russia.” The UN Human Rights Committee recommended that Russia repeal or revise legislation on “undesirable organizations.”