London – while war in ukraine It seems far from the end, Russia is increasingly shutting itself down to the world and is moving to broaden the definition of “foreign agent”, making it easier to suppress the independent press that still resists in the country.
A new bill pending in the Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, was passed in the second of three required readings on Tuesday, 28, enabling the consolidation of companies and individuals listed as “foreign agents” into a single register. Without the Ministry of Justice needing to prove that funds were received from abroad.
In this way, any person or entity that is “supported and/or under external influence” and whose work is widely publicized, politically or militarily related, from a wide variety of fields, including humanitarian organizations and the media, is a “foreign agent”. was defined as.
What does it mean to be a ‘foreign agent’ in Russia?
Since 2017, Russia has a law that allows publications and journalists to be labeled as foreign agents.
Years later, Russian President Vladimir Putin passed another law that broadened the definition of what companies and individuals could be considered foreign agents. As of 2020, legal applications against domestic and foreign press have been used more and more.
Individual media and professionals added to the registry are required to comply with strict financial reporting requirements and include comprehensive text with their explanations.situationon everything they post, including their social media posts.
Even before the war, few publications closed with the flight of investors fearing exposure. Journalists were branded as enemies of the state and had to leave Russia with prison terms.
Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, owner of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, was not even awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded in October 2021.stopped operations due to fake news law enacted after the war – limited the use of the foreign agent mechanism against the media.
Hours after it was announced as the winner, along with Filipino Maria Ressa, the Russian government added nine journalists and three broadcasters to its list of “foreign agents”, including representatives from the BBC and investigative website Bellingcat.
Read more
After Nobel Peace Prize for Russian editor, Putin fits more journalists and vehicles into ‘foreign agent’ law
Under current rules, the Ministry of Justice is required to gather evidence to label organizations or individuals as such – this will change with the new bill to be approved by the Duma.
Currently, the four existing lists of “foreign agents” track individuals and companies, including media outlets that receive money from abroad, engage in “political activities” or “gather information in the field of Russian military and technical activities.” state their status when communicating with government agencies.
New ‘foreign agent’ law in Russia could come into effect in 2022
A new reading of the bill, which was approved on Tuesday, is scheduled for Wednesday 29, after which it can pass to the upper house of the legislature and then to President Vladimir Putin for approval.
According to Russian website Rosbalt, if the law is passed, it will go into effect on December 1, 2022.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) criticized the legislative text, stating that the current law “is one of the government’s preferred means for harassment and restraint of the press”.
According to the committee, the new proposal requires those added to the “foreign agents” registry to disclose their source of funds and the amount of funds received from abroad, in addition to disclosing their bank accounts.
The bill also authorizes the Ministry of Justice to request Roskomnadzor, Russia’s state media regulator, to restrict access to websites that do not meet these requirements or are covered by current legislation that requires foreign agents to regularly submit detailed reports on their activities and expenditures. to the government.
The Russian penal code provides for up to five years’ imprisonment for non-compliance with the requirements of “foreign agents”. CPJ states that the new draft does not include any changes to this sanction.
“Instead of enacting new laws that would make it easier to label a journalist as a foreign agent, authorities should reduce the existing law to allow the media to operate freely,” said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, program director at CPJ in New York. .
Read more
Russia ‘hijacked’ TV towers for state propaganda in Ukrainian city
“Journalists cannot do their job if they are constantly under the barrage of vague and politically motivated regulations,” he added.
Along with the invasion of Ukraine, Putin’s government passed another repressive law that punishes those who spread fake news about the invasion of Ukraine for up to 15 years, causing many foreign media outlets to leave the country, undermining independent media operating in Russia. .
The bill also proposes the creation of a single register of persons “connected to foreign agents”, including current or former media workers.
However, the text does not specify what the legal obligations, if any, would be for those added to the “affiliates” list, but says they are not subject to the same requirements as registrations as “foreign agents”.
The European Court of Human Rights ruled on 14 June that Russia’s current foreign agent legislation violated the European Convention on Human Rights. The opinion was given after a joint complaint by 73 Russian NGOs, AFP reported.
The court ruled that the law was “not necessary in a democratic society” and violated freedom of expression.
read it too
Read more
Russian journalist auctions Nobel Peace medal to help Ukrainian refugees
source: Noticias
[author_name]
