"They want to trick me into returning to Russia and put me in prison”
The home of the parents of a Russian journalist was searched as part of a prosecution on the "foreign agent" law.
Russia's Investigative Committee has searched the apartment of the parents of Russian journalist Alesya Marokhovskaya, the editor-in-chief of the Europe-based media Important Stories (Vazhniye Istorii).
When authorities searched the home, that is located in Magadan in the Russian Far East, they confiscated their mobile phones and laptops, Alesya Marokhovskaya told the Barents Observer on the phone. The search is part of a criminal case for "evading the duties of a foreign agent” and Alesya's mother was taken in for questioning:
They searched my parents to put pressure on me, to scare me because of my journalism."
Alesya Marokhovskaya is now based in the European Union.
"The case investigator also sent me a Telegram message trying to trick me into returning to Russia - he assured me that everything was safe, that no criminal case would be opened against me and that I would only be fined. But it's clear to me that this is total nonsense. They want to trick me into returning to Russia and put me in prison”.
Under Russian law, anyone labelled as a 'foreign agent' is obliged to inform the public of this in every social media post and to submit regular reports on their income to the Russian Ministry of Justice. Alesya Marokhovskaya, like many others labelled as such, refused to do so after being labelled a "foreign agent" in 2021:
"In the beginning I put a "foreign agent" disclaimer on my social media content because I was in Russia. It's my country and I didn't want to go anywhere," Alesya said.
"But after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, I had to leave Russia as soon as possible. Many other absurd, crazy laws were imposed. I realised that I didn't want to follow these idiotic "foreign agent" rules anymore”.
The media outlet Important Stories has gained popularity after a series of investigations into high-ranking Russian officials and the war in Ukraine. Founded by Russian award-winning investigative reporter Roman Anin, the website is blocked in Russia and some of its journalists are on Russia's "wanted" list.
"We continue to work for you despite pressure from the authorities. Please support Important Stories with a donation. Our work carries risks not only for us, but also for our families,” Important Stories writes on their website.
Earlier this year, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Russia had violated the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms by recognising the journalists of Important Stories and the publication itself as 'foreign agents'. Alesya Marokhovskaya and Irina Dolinina were each awarded 10,000 euros in compensation, and Roman Anin was awarded 15,000 euros.
But as of September 2022 Russian parliament passed a law ending the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the country, so it is highly unlikely that the compensation will ever be paid.
"There is no other aim of this search than to frighten me. I have never lived in this apartment with my parents," Alesya Marokhovskaya told.
"There is nothing in my parents' laptops and phones that has anything to do with the 'foreign agent' case. The search has been very stressful for my mother. It makes life much harder. But my mother is holding on and has even tried to support me. Even though I'm safe now and no one is going to search my flat".
Such a law enforcement search is part of a systematic pressure used by Russian authorities to scare activists and journalists. For example, multiple searches have also been conducted all over Russia as part of a criminal case against Aleksei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, which is labeled as "extremist" in Russia.
