Mikhail Afanasyev, imprisoned journalist and a member of Yabloko, wins the Free Media Awards press prize
Press Release, 27.08.2024
Photo: Mikhail Afanasyev makes his final statement in court / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
Mikhail Afanasyev, a journalist from Khakassia and a member of the Yabloko party, became a prize winner of the Free Media Awards, a prestigious award for independent journalists who refuse to give in to threats.
For many years Mikhail Afanasyev has been covering corruption in his home region, the activities of criminal gangs, and human rights violations.
In April 2022, he was arrested and sentenced by the court to 5.5 years in prison in a penal colony for “disseminating fakes about the army”.
Mikhail was accused of publishing an article in the online publication Novy Fokus about the refusal of riot police from Khakassia to go to Ukraine six weeks after the start of the “special military operation”.
Almost a year ago, on 29 August, Mikhail Afanasyev spoke with his final statement in court, in which he explained that publishing the article was his professional and human duty.
The Free Media Awards was established in 2000 by the German Zeit Stiftung Bucerius Foundation and the Norwegian Fritt Ord Foundation. Since then, the prize has been awarded to famous Russian journalists and meida, including Elena Kostyuchenko, Elena Milashina, Zoya Svetova, Victoria Ivleva, Galina Timchenko, Novaya Gazeta, Pskovskaya Guberniya and others.
Posted: August 27th, 2024 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Russia-Ukraine relations, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.