The number of media “foreign agents” in Russia has exceeded 100
The Ministry of Justice included in the register of media outlets performing the functions of a foreign agent, four journalists collaborating with one of the projects of Radio Liberty, which was declared a “foreign agent” back in 2017. Another register of “foreign agents” includes a human rights organization.
Now in registry Mass media – “foreign agents” 103 people and organizations. So far it has had 99 lines.
The register of NPOs performing the functions of a foreign agent is now also added Association for the Protection of the Rights of Draftees “Human Rights Group” Citizen.Armia.Pravo “.
Alina Grigorieva, Andrei Grigoriev, Regina Himalova and Regina Khisamova were included in the list of media “foreign agents”. All four are former or current employees of Idel.Realii. This is a project of the Tatar-Bashkir service of Radio Liberty. Radio Liberty and Idel.Realii became the first media outlets announced by “foreign agents” on December 5, 2017.
Grigoriev and Grigorieva have been working in the publication for a long time. Colleagues of journalists told the BBC that such a decision of the Justice Ministry was expected, since the Grigorievs were the “locomotive” of the project.
As Grigorieva herself told the BBC, she will watch what happens next. According to her, she learned about the inclusion in the register from messages with words of support, began to receive, and at first thought that something terrible had happened. Grigorieva regrets that after being included in the register, most likely, she will not be able to further help stray animals.
Himalova has not cooperated with Idel.Realii since May. Her colleagues were surprised that she was included in the list of “foreign agents”. Himalova, Grigoriev and Khisamova told the BBC that they have not yet commented on their inclusion in the register.
“Agents” on Fridays
The last time the register was updated was last Friday, when the editor-in-chief of Sota Vision, Oleg Elanchik, was added to it. At the same time, the Nobel Prize LLC was included in the list, included by journalists, who were declared “foreign agents” on October 8, the day when the editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, Dmitry Muratov, became a Nobel Prize laureate.
On November 13, LGBT activist Igor Kochetkov was added to the register. Prior to that, on November 8, the lawyer Ivan Pavlov and his colleagues, who had left Russia, were added to the register of “foreign agents”, and before, on October 15, the Republic and Rosbalt editions were added.
On October 8, the Ministry of Justice expanded the list by 12 points at once, recognizing three online media outlets and nine individuals (most of them journalists) as “foreign agents”.
The largest replenishment of the register occurred on September 29, when 24 new entries were made to it. At that time, Mediazon, its editor-in-chief Sergei Smirnov and publisher Pyotr Verzilov, as well as a number of electoral experts who collaborated with the Golos movement (recognized as an association performing the functions of an “foreign agent”) were declared “foreign agents”.
The public movement for the protection of the rights of voters “Golos” became the first in the new register of unregistered public associations recognized as “foreign agents.” The second on September 29 was the OVD-Info human rights project. And on November 8, the list was supplemented by the public movement “Russian LGBT Network”.
Until December 2020, in the register of media “foreign agents”, which were only 11 media outlets (most of them are associated with the American media corporation “Radio Liberty”). In December, for the first time, natural persons (five people) were included in it, who de jure were equated in status with the media, and it began to grow rapidly.
What Putin said
At the end of October, President Vladimir Putin commented on the situation with the expansion of the register. Speaking on the minutes of the Valdai Club, he did not agree that in Russia they could enroll in “foreign agents” in a “carpet fashion”.
“Is there something going on in a carpet fashion? [иностранных агентов] we have? What, every second, or what? In my opinion, we do not have a mass enrollment in foreign agents. “It seems to me that the danger of this is greatly exaggerated,” Putin said amid fears that the list of publications and names would be added to the list soon after.
Answering a question from the editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, Dmitry Muratov, who received the Nobel Peace Prize, Putin said that the Russian law on “foreign agents” does not prohibit having one’s own opinion, but “money from the ) about the mark that “foreign agents” should put on their materials).
At the same time, Putin noted, in Russia, unlike the United States, there is no criminal liability for “foreign agents.” However, since the spring of 2021, a law has been in effect in Russia that provides for up to five years in prison for natural persons – “foreign agents” for “malicious evasion” of their duties. Putin himself signed it late last year.
On December 3, the topic of “foreign agents” was raised during a conversation between Putin and the head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova. Putin said that the law must meet “the goals that it has been adopted,” and Pamfilova noted that the law “should not unfairly strike those who do not deserve it.”
In mid-November, the bill, which proposes to recognize the media as “foreign agents” only by decision, was introduced to the State Duma by the deputies of the “Fair Russia – For Truth” faction.