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Helping Russia's helpers
How to support the news outlets and human rights projects that support Russians when they need it most
The drug case against Meduza correspondent Ivan Golunov was shut down after an unprecedented solidarity campaign led by other journalists, and attorneys from nonprofit human rights projects have been a fixture of Golunov’s legal defense. In the week after Golunov was arrested, about 150 people signed up for regular donations to Mediazona, a news outlet that specializes in reporting on Russian law enforcement agencies and court cases. Meanwhile, OVD-Info, a project that sheds light on arrest proceedings and offers resources to arrestees, received more donations than it usually does on average in an entire month. Nonetheless, more regular donations are necessary for these organizations to continue providing objective coverage of the Russian legal world and effective aid for those who find themselves facing the system alone. Meduza explains how you can (and should!) support those who supported Ivan Golunov and would support you as well if the Russian government began prosecuting you illegally.
Mediazona
This online news outlet was founded in 2014 by Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina under the slogan “Russian public life is about criminal cases and the courts.” Time proved them right. Every day, Mediazona covers the most important goings-on in Russian police stations, courts, and prison colonies.
OVD-Info
This human rights project emerged in late 2011 out of the mass arrests that followed a protest against the falsification of State Duma election results. OVD-Info is the country’s primary source of information about arrests made during protests.
Agora
This international group was founded by experienced human rights attorneys. In 2018, Agora released a project called Protest Apologeticsthat reports on Russian legal cases related to the right to peaceful protests. As soon as Ivan Golunov’s arrest became public, Agora attorney Dmitry Dzhulai came to his assistance, and the group’s lawyers led the journalist’s legal team from then on.
Novaya Gazeta
One of the oldest outlets in contemporary Russia that specializes in investigative journalism, Novaya Gazeta is the source that uncovered and described torture practices in Russian prison colonies in 2018.
Open Russia’s Human Rights Project
This division of the nonprofit organization Open Russia has been in operation since 2015. Ivan Golunov’s current legal representative is Open Russia’s Human Rights Project attorney Sergey Badamshin. Badamshin had previously represented Ekho Moskvy journalist Tatiana Felgengauer, who was attacked in her own newsroom, and media manager Anton Nosik, who was charged with inciting hatred.
The Andrey Rylkov Foundation
Since 2009, the Foundation has worked to educate Russians about drug policy and to humanize drug laws both in Russia and in the rest of the world. The foundation also has programs in place to prevent infections among drug users and offer them legal representation. It advocates for the decriminalization of drug use and possession without intent to distribute.
Takie Dela
The Help Needed Foundation opened this journalistic offshoot to narrate the stories and problems of ordinary people. The project also raises funds for other nonprofits. Takie Dela regularly covers the obstacles vulnerable people, including those struggling with drug addiction, face in Russia. It also sheds light on people who have simply fallen on hard times.
Team 29
This team of lawyers specializes in treason and espionage cases. Team 29 leader Ivan Pavlov worked with Sergey Badamshin to represent Svetlana Davydova, a mother of seven who was arrested for treason before the charges against her were dropped.
Public Verdict
The human rights groups Memorial and the Moscow Helsinki Group worked together to create this foundation. It was Public Verdict that first acquired the video recordings of torture in a Yaroslavl prison colony that Novaya Gazeta later publicized.
Dozhd
The independent television station Dozhd, also known in English as TV Rain, practically covered Ivan Golunov’s case 24/7 after his arrest came to light and then continued to cover the protests that followed his release.
Union of Journalists and Media Workers
This independent organization was founded in 2016 following two turning points in the threat to Russian journalists’ safety: an attack on journalists on the border between Chechnya and Ingushetia and a criminal case against RBC correspondent Alexander Sokolov.
Rus’ Imprisoned
This high-profile project, which provides legal and material aid to prisoners and their families, was founded by the journalist Olga Romanova.
Media Rights Defense Center
This organization provides training opportunities and legal aid for journalists.