One of the last independent newspapers in Russia has had its print license revoked by a Russian court, CNN reported.
Novaya Gazeta newspaper, circulation 90,000, which is known for critical coverage of Russian politics and investigating social issues, is published in Moscow and available across Russia and in some foreign countries. Since its founding in 1993, it has been known as Russia’s leading investigative news source.
On Monday, the Basmanny Court of Moscow revoked the paper’s certificate of registry for its print version. The decision came after Russia’s media regulator Rozkomnadzor alleged that the newspaper had not been transparent about an ownership change in 2006.
It was one of the last remaining independent newspapers in the country.
Judge Olga Lipkina ordered that the paper’s printing licence should be invalidated, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Outside the courtroom, Novaya Gazeta editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov called the judge’s decision “a political hit job, without the slightest legal basis.”
Muratov, who is a Nobel Peace laureate for being a leading Russian figure in news that is critical of the Kremlin, said that the news outlet would appeal the ruling.
On its website, the paper’s editorial team released a statement referring to the court’s decision as the “attempted murder of Novaya Gazeta.”