Russia’s state financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring added Armen Aramyan, editor and co-founder of the independent youth Magazine DOXA, to the country’s list of “terrorists and extremists,” the outlet reported Tuesday.
Last week, a Moscow court ordered Aramyan’s arrest in absentia on charges of “justifying terrorism” and spreading “fakes” about the military on social media. Prosecutors did not specify which posts or statements led to the charges.
Responding to the news Tuesday about being designated as a “terrorist and extremist,” Aramyan wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “It took a while.” He currently resides outside of Russia, where DOXA was designated an “undesirable” organization earlier this year.
Being added to Russia’s lists of “extremists and terrorists” allows the authorities to freeze designees’ bank accounts without a court order.
In 2021, Aramyan, along with several other DOXA editors, was accused of inciting minors to take part in unsanctioned opposition protests and placed under house arrest. He fled Russia shortly after being sentenced to two years of correctional labor.
On Monday, a Russian court sentenced former DOXA editor Maria Menshikova for posts she made on social media in 2022.
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