The homes of four editors and their family members were searched, DOXA said in an official statement published on their website.
According to DOXA, phones and laptops were seized during the search, and journalists Armen Aramyan, Alla Gutnikova, Vladimir Metelkin and Natalia Tyshkevich were taken for questioning by the Russian investigative committee. All four journalists are now being charged with inciting minors to protest, DOXA said, which also rejected the allegation.
“There were no calls for illegal action in our video – we said that young people should not be afraid to express their opinions,” the statement from DOXA read. Agora, the legal organization representing the four journalists, referred CNN to DOXA’s statement.
The Commission of Inquiry did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
According to a statement by the Basmanny court in Moscow, the four will be under strict communication restrictions before the trial until June 14. According to DOXA, the restrictions include a ban on leaving their homes between midnight and 11:59 p.m., using the internet and communicating with anyone other than their lawyers and close family members.
The magazine DOXA started as a small online publication mostly presented by students at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. It has since grown and become independent.
The magazine said raids were in connection with a video taken earlier this year in which the magazine’s editors explained to students that it was illegal for them to be expelled from university because they took part in protests in support of Alexey Navalny.
The video was removed from the DOXA YouTube channel at the request of Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor in late January, a few days after it was originally posted. The watchdog argued that the video encouraged participation in unauthorized protests – an allegation that DOXA disputed.
“The pressure that the journalistic community has been facing lately is unprecedented, but we will not stop our activities. We will continue to highlight what is important to young people and we will continue to work for their rights,” he said. DOXA said in the statement.
A ‘new low’ for press freedom
Amnesty International called the raids a “new low” for press freedom in Russia.
Russia has also promised to take action against social media platforms that do not take down positions that the Kremlin considers illegal, or that encourage people to party in ‘unauthorized protests’.
Last Friday, IStories, independent Russian investigative media, said that the Russian intelligence agency had raided the FSB in its offices, as well as the home of investigative journalist Roman Anin, editor-in-chief of IStories.
Anna Stavitsakaya, Anin’s lawyer, said the raids, a brief arrest and interrogation of Anin were carried out in relation to a story that Anin published in 2016. Anin is known for exposing corruption in Russia.
The European Union has expressed its concern over the Anin incident in a statement published on Sunday. “We call on the Russian authorities to fulfill their international and local obligations. The freedom of the media must be respected. The EU will continue to pursue the issue closely,” the statement said.