Protection of colleagues mentioned among reasons for closure of journalists’ trade union

Campaigns in support of journalists, discreditation of the army, violations of the statute and non-payment of membership fees became the reasons for the demand to liquidate the “Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers”, created in connection with the attack on human rights defenders and journalists in Ingushetia.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office filed a lawsuit with a demand to liquidate the public organization “Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers”. Earlier, its activities have been suspended in connection with a case instituted under the article “Public actions aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation”. The reason for initiating the case was a post on the website of the public organization.

The preliminary hearing of the court “was purely formal,” Andrei Zhvirblis, the secretary of the trade union bureau, says. According to him, the organization is required to be liquidated, in particular, “because of incorrect charter.”

Earlier, the trade union asked Alexander Bastrykin, the chair of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), to check the facts of accusations and threats from the Chechen authorities against the newspaper “Novaya Gazeta”, the “Dozhd” (Rain)* TV Channel, and journalist Elena Milashina.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in the register of mass media performing the functions of a foreign agent.