Kremlin Aware Of Charges Against DOXA Student Magazine, Points To Its Socio-Political Tone

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th April, 2021) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday declined from commenting on criminal charges brought against all editors of DOXA over illegal protests video but noted that though the Russian media outlet was launched as a student magazine, it had long started voicing strong socio-political rhetoric.

On Wednesday, all four editors of DOXA were arraigned before a Moscow court and charged with posting a video in January, in which the magazine showed protests against Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny's detention and talked about the alleged pressure that students faced for participating in demonstrations, including threats of expulsion. DOXA deleted the video as demanded by internet watchdog Roskomnadzor. All four editors were banned from using the internet and communicating with each other, and were ordered not to leave their homes for two months.

"I will probably remain committed to the practice of not commenting on any court rulings. We are aware of this situation from media reports, but I would not comment on it in any way. It's just that the magazine at one time started as a student publication, but it has long been of a socio-political nature, hardly anyone can deny it," Peskov told reporters.

In late January-early February, Moscow and other Russian cities were swept by mass protests in support of now-jailed Navalny, who was detained in Moscow in January upon his arrival from Germany, where he was treated for alleged poisoning.

In Moscow alone, several thousand administrative cases related to illegal rallies were registered � 1,500 people were arrested and 2,500 others were fined. In addition, criminal cases were initiated over violation of sanitary rules during the pandemic and attacks on security officials, among others.