Nobel Peace Prize laureate Russian journalist Dmytro Muratov will temporarily step down as editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta to challenge in court his recent designation as a “foreign agent,” an independent Russian news outlet announced Monday.

Muratov made headlines last year when he announced plans to auction off his Nobel Peace Prize medal to raise money for Ukrainian refugees, according to CNN.

Russia’s Justice Ministry added Muratov to its “foreign agents” registry on Friday under legislation that stifles free speech in the country, critics say.

“Muratov vehemently disagrees with the Justice Ministry’s decision and will file a lawsuit,” said Nova Gazeta Europa, a Latvian publication founded in 2022 after Russia’s war-related censorship laws forced the media to significantly scale back its operations. in the country

The current deputy editor-in-chief Serhiy Sokolov will become the acting editor-in-chief of “Novaya Gazeta”, the article further states.

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