Moscow's Presnensky District Court began hearing a criminal case in absentia against Natalya Sindeyeva, founder of TV Rain (Dozhd), on October 28. She is charged under Part 3 of Article 284.1 of Russia's Criminal Code with organizing the activities of an entity designated “undesirable” by the Russian authorities.
At the hearing, prosecutors tied the charges to TV Rain's continued operations after it received the “undesirable organization” designation. The prosecutor alleged that Sindeyeva continued to lead the project, coordinate the channel's work and development, oversee broadcasting, and raise funds for the newsroom.
Russian authorities declared TV Rain an “undesirable organization” in July 2023. Before then, the channel had already been forced to stop broadcasting from Russia and had continued operating abroad. Under Russian law, the designation exposes people to the risk of criminal prosecution for organizing an entity's activities.