Journalist smuggled to France – risked 10 years in prison

The 64-year-old journalist and film critic Ekterina BaBash was arrested in February this year and put in house arrest. In April, authorities became aware that she had disappeared, writes France 24. Now she has reappeared – this time in France.

During Monday’s press conference at reporters without borders headquarters in Paris, BaBash said that the trip took two and a half weeks and was « very difficult ». According to Reporters Without Borders she must have worn her electronic footcuff she had in the household and then traveled over 280 miles via secret routes to get to France.

– I fled, I had no choice. Journalism no longer exists in Russia, Ekaterina BaBash said during the press conference.

Barabash, which was born in Ukrainehas repeatedly criticized Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine. In March 2022, she wrote on social media that Russia had « bombed the country » and « leveled entire cities with the ground ». Just the days before her gripping, she wrote: « Hatred, hatred, hatred of those who started all this ».

According to reporters without borders, Barabash must have a vocal as a « foreign agent » by Russian authorities. A title that organizations mean is often used to silence deviant votes.

Ekaterina BaBash Has previously been a reporter for the Russian -speaking radio channel Radio France International and for the independent media channel Republic.

Russia is one of the countries with the least press freedom in the world. Since the country’s large -scale invasion of Ukraine, almost all independent media has been banned or counteracted. In reporters without borders’ latest ranking of freedom of the press in 180 countries, Russia ended up in place 171.

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