Correspondent in Moscow
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With the war in Ukraine, what was originally just an infamous name inherited from the Soviet system has become an increasingly threatening tool of repression against those the government considers “traitors.” 1 new milestone achievedeh This social ban, organized by the Ministry of Justice in December, now affects more than two hundred and fifty individuals and institutions.
According to the decree published on November 10, only suspicion “Using or being influenced by foreign support”. – and no longer the actual payment of funding can include you in this list published by the authorities on the Internet. In addition, the names of “foreign agents” will now be accompanied by information considered confidential in theory: address, tax and social security number…
Elimination of public space
On November 25, the list of “foreign agents” was expanded to include Yekaterinburg’s former mayor Yevgeny Roizman, lawyer Ilya Novikov, and journalist Alexandra Garmazhapova, founder of the Buryatia Association. There are now 202 foreign media and agency organizations in Russia, in addition to 62 individuals and 11 public associations.
Based on the initial text voted in 2012, which has been gradually tightened so that from 2020 it no longer affects associations, but also individuals, the Law on “Foreign Agents” subjects them to heavy administrative restrictions: extremely detailed reporting of specific income, expenses and activities. in the past three months. Deviating from these rules or being accused of disobeying them exposes you to severe penalties, leading to, for example, the dissolution of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization Memorial.
The media concerned, that is, all the independent press, which has been mostly exiled outside the borders of Russia, must precede each of their publications by indicating their status in capital letters. This also applies to any “posting” on the Internet by a designated “foreign agent”. The list of prohibitions added by the decree of November 10 is impressive: a ban on public service work, participation in any public commission and, of course, elections, organizing public events, teaching and even working in public places. institutions…
Measures more or less equivalent to the elimination of public space that could easily encourage excesses or violence; many “foreign agents” have thus become targets of neighborhood harassment, even police brutality. After erasing the slates of all oppositional and independent media in the context of the war, the tightening ring is first of all aimed at the slightest expression against the “special military operation” in Ukraine. “Now almost everyone can become a ‘foreign agent’,” the website summarizes Telegram: 7×7 has earned a spot on this list of powerhouse pets by itself.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.