11 journalists and human rights activists recorded a video message in support of Svetlana Prokopyeva, a journalist from Pskov who was accused of justifying terrorism. The action was initiated by the Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers. The video was published on April 19 on the organization's YouTube channel.
Particularly, Sofia Rusova, a member of the trade bureau of the Trade Union of Journalists, expressed her opinion in the five-minute video. She believes that actions in support of Svetlana Prokopyeva should be held until all charges against her are dismissed and the criminal case is closed.
- Now, due to the quarantine, the opportunities to show solidarity are limited, but they remain. Despite the fact that there are now problems which are terrible from a social point of view and should attract the attention of law enforcers and authorities, political pressure — against journalists as well — has not decreased. The reaction of the community of professionals should be equally strong — both to the case of Ivan Golunov and to the stories with regional journalists, - said Sofia Rusova to the correspondent of 7x7.
Mogens Bjerregård, the president of the European Federation of Journalists, believes that the prosecution of Svetlana Prokopyeva is a violation of the principles of freedom of speech and media. He called on the Russian authorities to immediately stop the case. According to Bjerregård, "the Russian government, like any other government, should recognize and respect the role of the media, journalism and commentary, as well as the fast that journalists are often called upon to comment on current events."
When giving a comment to the Union of Journalists and Media Workers, he explained that first of all, the accusation that Prokopyeva was facing, despite her complete innocence, harmed her, but it also harmed free Russian media, as this case disrupted the very work of a journalist, created a huge risk and could lead to an increase in self-censorship.
The interlocutory hearing in the case of Svetlana Prokopyeva which was scheduled for April 20 will be postponed because of the coronavirus. The date of the hearing has not been settled yet.
In February 2019, Pskov journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva was accused of justifying terrorism for expressing an opinion about the terrorist attack which was committed by a 17-year-old anarchist in the Arkhangelsk office of the FSB in 2018. The journalist was supported by the OSCE, the International Press Institute, the Trade Union and Union of Journalists of Russia, and the Presidential Human Rights Council of Russia. Mass actions demanding to stop criminal prosecution of Prokopyeva were held in Pskov.
