Ex-correspondent of Novaya Gazeta Elena Shukayeva goes on hunger strike following arrest in Russia

Russian human rights activist, journalist and former contributing correspondent of Novaya Gazeta Elena Shukayeva has been arrested in Yekaterinburg and declared a hunger strike, OVD-Info reports.

“This is a protest against the police arbitrariness, against distortion of meanings and the judicial pandering to any fantasies of the police,” the project quotes her as saying.

Shukayeva was arrested on 17 August. A Yekaterinburg court found her guilty of showcasing symbols of an extremist organisation. “For publishing a link to the video entitled Don’t Call Him Dimon (a Russian documentary film with details of alleged corruption by Dmitry Medvedev — Novaya Gazeta. Europe) back in 2017 in [Russian social media platform] VK (the prosecution believes that Elena published the video itself, not a link to it — Novaya Gazeta. Europe),” OVD-Info lawyer Roman Kachanov said. The journalist has been placed in custody for 14 days.

She was arrested the same day in the court building where two of Shukayeva’s appeals were being heard. She appealed the fines issued under the “army discreditation” article of the Administrative Code. The court rejected both appeals.

On 24 May, a Yekaterinburg court slapped a fine of 200,000 rubles (3,300 euros) on Elena Shukayeva for “discrediting the use of Russian armed forces abroad”. Five such instances were documented after her Facebook posts where she shared her thoughts on the civilian deaths in Ukraine’s Mariupol and Bucha as well as quoted Russian prisoners of war who said that they did not know that they would be sent to war.

On 17 August, searches were conducted at the residence of Iskander Yasaveyev, an author for Novaya Gazeta and a columnist for Idel.Realii. The publication believes that the searches could be linked to his publications for Idel.Realii.