Cultural figures join march for protection of free press in Russia

Well-known figures in Russia’s academic, media and literary circles will gather in Moscow on 13 April to march for a free press in Russia. The rally, known as the March of Truth, has been organised by the Committee of Protest Action and is expected to draw tens of thousands of people including Russian journalist and biographer Dmitry Bykov and political scientist Georgy Satarov.

“We expect to see more than 50,000 people attending the event, which will run from Turgenev Metro station to Pushkin Square where the rally will take place,” said Alexander Ryklin, a committee member and editor-in-chief of opposition website Daily Journal. The march will be calling for a fair independent media, the right to information and for an open society against xenophobia.

The Committee of Protest Action was established last year and comprises the activist group Solidarity, the political organisation Left Front, the prisoner activist group Committee 6 May, and other citizen activists. The organisation of March of Truth comes at a time of dramatic change within the Russian media landscape with the government clamping down on independent press.