The Barents Observer Declared "Undesirable" in Russia

The online newspaper Barents Observer, based in Kirkenes, northern Norway, has been declared "undesirable in Russia" by the The Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation , according to a press release dated 7 February.

They write that all activities from the foundation The Independent Barents Observer AS, which owns the online newspaper, are to be considered undesirable.

"A significant portion of the published materials have a clearly anti-Russian orientation. It is noteworthy that they are being prepared by citizens of the Russian Federation who have left the country and are included in the register of foreign agents or in the list of terrorists and extremists", the press release said.

The prosecution office further claims that the newspaper's articles are intended to encourage protests and "anti-Russian sanctions" among the population of northern Russia.

"A significant amount of information disseminated by the organization is devoted to discrediting the activities of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation", the statement said.

Editor Thomas Nilsen emphasizes in a statement in his own newspaper, that the Barents Observer will continue to report, in Russian and English languages, about important developments in the Russian north.

"This shows that the Kremlin's repressive authorities know that we are doing a good job. Journalism is no crime, the crime is to stop free media and freedom of expression."

On Thursday, the Barents Observer won in the European Court of Human Rights in a case against the Russian Communications Authority, which blocked access to the newspaper on Russian territory in 2019.

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