We’re about to give you a vivid demonstration of how censorship works in Penal Colony No. 2.
As soon as Alexei arrived there, we arranged newspaper and magazine subscriptions for him. They were supposed to start being delivered on April 1. However, just as with the books, the colony administration was in no hurry to hand them over. Only now has he received his first newspaper — *Novaya Gazeta*, the April 5 issue. For all the previous days, it had been under review by “the censors” (at least it wasn’t three months).
This is what the newspaper looked like:
A section of the page had simply been cut out. Colony staff explained that the removed article contained “propaganda of violence.”
On the Novaya Gazeta website, we found the relevant issue. We also found the article that had been cut out. Here it is:
At the same time, censors in penal colonies are only allowed to read correspondence. Under the law, periodicals are not subject to censorship at all. They are already overseen by Roskomnadzor (Russia’s state media and communications regulator). But, as with the Quran, the administration of Penal Colony No. 2 apparently has its own ideas about what should be considered permitted and what should not — and they are not shy about putting those ideas into practice.
Alexei is suing the colony over this illegal and utterly absurd practice.
We invite *Novaya Gazeta* to join the lawsuit.