On Friday, a Siberian news editor was detained after alleging that 11 riot police officers refused to join Moscow\u2019s military campaign in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Authorities have increased up efforts to silence opponents since President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to Ukraine on February 24.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The primary editor of a news website in Khakassia, Siberia, was arrested, according to the Investigative Committee, for spreading \u201cdeliberately incorrect material.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If convicted, the journalist may face up to ten years in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the Investigative Committee, his apartment was raided earlier this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The journalist\u2019s identity has not been revealed by the Khakassia Investigative Committee, although it is thought to be Mikhail Afanasyev, operator of the local news website \u201cNovyi Fokus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In early April, Afanasyev said that officials pressured 11 OMON riot police officers to travel to Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Afanasyev anecdote was widely circulated on social media, and Russia\u2019s media regulator shut down The Moscow Times\u2019 Russian-language website on Friday after it referenced it in an article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Afanasyev, 45, has stated unequivocally that he will not leave Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In early April, he told AFP, \u201cI am not going to flee the country; I am stubborn and want to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Khakassia, Afanasyev is a well-known editor. For years, his unbiased reporting has been the target of libel lawsuits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For spreading false information about the Russian military, Russian authorities have sentenced offenders to up to 15 years in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Independent media outlets have been shut down or silenced since the commencement of Russia\u2019s armed incursion in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russia should cease \u201cthis witchhunt,\u201d according to Reporters Without Borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Russian authorities are now targeting critical local media outlets with new legislation establishing war censorship, after dispersing the national independent press,\u201d the watchdog stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sergei Mikhailov, the head editor of Listok, a small opposition daily based in Altai, Siberia, was arrested earlier this week on charges of spreading \u201cfake information\u201d about Russian military in Ukraine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On Friday, a Siberian news editor was detained after alleging that 11 riot police officers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":14675,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[216],"tags":[342],"class_list":["post-14673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-siberian"],"yoast_head":"\n