President Karis expressed his admiration for Novaya Gazeta, the independent newspaper overseen by Muratov, which issues 12 regional publications and has a million readers in Russia, but which remains one of the last bastions of press freedom in the country.
“Dmitri knows what it means to have your freedom curtailed and to work as a journalist in such restrictive conditions,” the head of state remarked. “The press must seek the truth and push back against lies. Doing so requires civic initiative and more than a little bravado, particularly in a society where the government speaks to its people in the language of half-truths and falsehoods. Dmitri and his colleagues in Novaya Gazeta are truly fearless journalists.”
President Karis also expressed his respect for the courageous and outspoken speech Muratov delivered upon accepting his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo last December, in which he warned the world against the swing towards dictatorships and the delusion that there can be progress without freedom.
