Independent journalists targeted in Crimea, including RFE/RL contributors
Police searched the home of several RFE/RL contributors. Moscow-backed Crimean Prosecutor General’s Office says it has launched a criminal case against one of these people, Mykola Semena, alleging that he engaged in “extremism” and agitated for “violations of Russia’s territorial integrity” on the basis of his journalistic work. The prosecutor also called for the closure of RFE/RL’s Crimea Realities website, one of the last remaining sources of independent news on Russia-annexed Crimea, claiming that the website seeks to discredit the Russian Federation, incites interethnic hatred and promotes extremism.