By Viliuia Choinova
Sasha Alexandrova’s case is more than yet another instance of persecuting an independent journalist. It is a troubling sign of the ever-worsening assault on freedom of expression in Russia’s republics.
In a media landscape tightly controlled by the authorities, any attempt to raise uncomfortable questions or critically reflect on events unfolding in the country can result in criminal prosecution.
Charges against Alexandrova are reportedly based on Russia’s Criminal Code Article 205.2, which introduces a punishment of up to seven years in prison for “public calls to commit acts of terrorism, public justification of terrorism or terrorism propaganda.”
This criminal code provision was previously used against three other residents of the Republic of Sakha.
In February 2023, a Sakha native was detained in Russia’s western Smolensk region and fined 360,000 rubles for “inciting violence against public officials” — an offense that falls under the same Criminal Code article.
In September, a 21-year-old resident of the diamond-mining town of Mirny was arrested by the FSB on charges of making “public calls to commit terrorist acts” on the Telegram messaging app. The young man was reportedly accused of recruiting volunteers for the Ukrainian Azov Brigade — which is labeled as “terrorist” in Russia — and calling for Yakutia’s succession from Russia.
And in October 2024, a national of one of the Central Asian states was sentenced to nine years in prison for “financing terrorists in Syria.”
In all of these cases, the charges were directly tied to allegations of supporting organizations banned in Russia or promoting violence. But the prosecution of Alexandrova marks a notable shift to using “anti-terrorism” laws to silence independent voices in the republic.
Pressure on anti-war activists and independent civil society actors in the Republic of Sakha is growing rapidly.
Several Indigenous rights and anti-war groups and activists, including Aykhal Ammosov — who openly opposed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent “partial” mobilization — have already been added to Russia’s extensive list of terrorists and extremists.
These labels serve not only as the means for punishing individual dissenters but also help authorities stamp out any organized resistance to the government’s militarist policies.
Alexandrova publicly condemned Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine since the very start of Russia’s so-called “special military operation” in February 2022. She even left the country in protest but decided to return to her home republic two years later.
The arrest of Alexandrova is an attempt to intimidate anyone and everyone in Russia who still dares to speak up, write, and analyze.
The arrest of Alexndrova is not an attack on one journalist. It is an attack on the people’s collective and fundamental right to freedom of expression and information.
International human rights organizations, journalist associations and independent media must pay attention to this case. They must demand a transparent investigation and, more importantly, call for an end to the use of “anti-terrorism” laws to suppress freedom of expression in Sakha and other republics in Russia.
We must not stay silent.
Source – From the Republics. Weekly