Accessibility links

Breaking News

Daughter Shuts Down Online Russian Newspaper After Journalist's Self-Immolation


Irina Slavina died in October after setting herself alight outside police headquarters in Nizhny Novgorod.
Irina Slavina died in October after setting herself alight outside police headquarters in Nizhny Novgorod.

The daughter of the late Russian journalist Irina Slavina, who died in early October after setting herself on fire in an apparent reaction to being investigated by authorities, has shut down Koza.Press, her mother's online newspaper.

Margarita Murakhtayeva on February 10 called her decision "not easy, but right," and expressed gratitude to journalists who had supported the newspaper and contributed to it since her mother's death four months ago.

Koza.Press, created by Slavina in 2015, focused on shortcomings in the work of local authorities, cases of political persecution, and the illegal removal of historic buildings in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

On October 2, before setting herself on fire in front of the city's police headquarters in Nizhny Novgorod, Slavina wrote on Facebook, "Blame the Russian Federation for my death."

Funeral Held For Independent Russian Journalist Who Set Herself On Fire
please wait

No media source currently available

0:00 0:02:44 0:00

A day earlier, a group of law enforcement officers searched her apartment, trying to find evidence linking her with the opposition Open Russia group and confiscated her computers and mobile phones.

Slavina said at the time that she was left without the tools needed to do her journalistic job, adding that she had never had any links with Open Russia.

Slavina's self-immolation caused a public outcry, with many people demanding justice for the journalist. However, authorities refused to launch a probe into her self-immolation, saying that the incident bore no elements of a crime .

After Slavina's death, her daughter and another journalist, Irina Yenikeyeva, continued the newspaper's activities.

  • 16x9 Image

    RFE/RL

    RFE/RL journalists report the news in 27 languages in 23 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate.

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG