Support The Moscow Times!

Medvedev's Speech Winds Up on List of Extremist Materials

A speech given in 2011 by then-President Dmitry Medvedev at an awards ceremony for special forces officers was put on the federal list of extremist materials, according to the Justice Ministry's website.

The speech was published in September 2011 in a journal called "Radical Politics. Newspaper of Russia's Anti-Imperial Committee," Gazeta.ru reported Wednesday. The entire issue was ruled to be extremist, with the president's speech specifically listed among its materials. The decision was made by the Omsk Central District Court.

The newspaper's publisher, Boris Stomakhin, was arrested in November 2012 on charges of "calling for terrorism." He had previously served four years in prison on the same charges.

The federal list of extremist materials is compiled by Russia's Justice Ministry on the basis of court rulings. As of Thursday, it contains 1,679 items, all of which are prohibited from circulation in Russia.

The list includes such materials as a book called "What is Scientology?", Jehovah's Witnesses' texts, and one of Ruhollah Khomeini's manuscripts.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more