February 09, 2025

Russia Comes for Norwegians


Russia Comes for Norwegians
A view of Kirkenes, from whence the Barents Observer publishes. Bair175, Wikimedia Commons

The Russian General Prosecutor has declared the nonprofit Norwegian news outlet The Barents Observer an "undesirable organization."

The Russian state cited "misinformation attacks" as its reasoning behind the declaration. The Observer, according to Russia, "loudly sympathizes with the Kyiv regime," nodding to the newspaper's pro-Ukraine view in the ongoing Russian war there. In addition, Russia accuses the Observer of "discrediting the Russian armed forces," propagating "untraditional values," and "stimulating protest actions."

These accusations come as Russia cracks down on dissent as its war in Ukraine nears its third year.

The Observer operates out of Kirkenes, Norway, in the country's Far North. It publishes news about the Barents Sea region in Norwegian, Russian, and Chinese. It is funded privately, through philanthropy, and by the Norwegian government.

The news comes one day after the Barents Observer successfully won a court case accusing the Russian state of violating Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which enshrined press freedom, in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

 

 

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