Press Release, 28.03.2023

Photo: Mikhail Afanasyev with his wife Yelena and two younger children / Photo from the personal archive

On 29 March, the Abakan City Court will launch hearings on the criminal case of “fakes about the army” against journalist Mikhail Afanasyev, a member of the Yabloko party and a laureate of the Andrei Sakharov Prize “For Journalism as an Act”. The first court session is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. local time (5:30 a.m. Moscow time).

Mikhail Afanasyev, Editor-in-Chief of the Novy Focus online media, has been in custody for almost a year. He is accused of spreading “fake news about the army” using his official position (Article 207.3, Part 2, Clause “a” of the Criminal Code of the RF). The reason for the persecution was a publication on the Novy Focus web-site running that 11 riot police officers from Khakassia refused to go to Ukraine.

The position of the defence in the case is that in the period from 4 March to 5 April, criminal liability for the dissemination of false information extended only to the armed forces of the Russian Federation. In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 5 April, 2016, mobile special forces were included in the structure of the National Guard, and their employees were not military personnel. The material about the Khakassian riot police officers appeared on the website of Novy Focus on 3 April. Later, Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation was amended and extended to other state bodies of the Russian Federation exercising their powers outside the country, including the riot police (OMON).

The Deputy Public Prosecutor of Khakassia approved the indictment. The case file states that the National Guard Afanasyev wrote about in one of his articles is part of the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

Mikhail Afanasyev, who has been imprisoned for a year, has five children dependent on him. His wife Yelena Afanasyeva raising their two children, said that the family was deprived of the apartment in which they lived under a social contract. In addition, after the verdict against her husband is passed, Yelena may be dismissed from her job.

Earlier, Yabloko announced two fundraisers to help the family of Mikhail Afanasyev: 300,000 roubles to cover debts and support children, and 450,000 roubles to pay a fine imposed on Mikhail by the Abakan City Court allegedly for “inciting hatred” towards the security forces.

The family of Mikhail Afanasyev still needs help, Yabloko continues its fundraising campaign.