The Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation has included blogger Nikolai Sobolev and Popular Politics host Alexander Makashents in the unified register of “foreign agents,” according to the ministry’s website.
In my country blocked
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On December 1, 2022, the law “On Control over the Activities of Persons Under Foreign Influence” came into force in Russia. On the basis of this document, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation published a new unified register of “foreign agents”, in which at the beginning of December there were 493 positions. These are all people and organizations recognized as “foreign agents” in the ten years since the first law on “foreign agents” appeared in Russia.
The new law also allows individuals who do not have foreign funding to be recognized as “foreign agents”. Now the Ministry of Justice will be able to include in the register of “foreign agents” any Russian or foreign organizations or individuals if they receive foreign support or are under foreign influence, and also conduct political activities or collect information about Russia’s military-technical activities that “can be used against security country”.
This document also introduces a register of those who are “affiliated” with “foreign agents”. They will be recognized as individuals who were or are currently members of the “foreign agent” organization. This list will include persons who receive or have received in the past money from a “foreign agent”, even through intermediaries. At the same time, “affiliated” persons will not be subject to the restrictions established for “foreign agents”.
The new law states that the Ministry of Justice will be able to exclude a “foreign agent” from the unified register a year after the rejection of “foreign influence” or the types of activities listed in the law. At the same time, in the case of re-inclusion in the register, it will be possible to achieve an exception no sooner than after three years.
The law on “foreign agents” appeared in Russia in 2012. He allowed the Ministry of Justice to recognize non-profit organizations as “foreign agents” if they receive funding from abroad and are engaged in political activities. The criteria by which such activities are determined are not clearly defined in the law, which allows the authorities to prosecute organizations working in the field of education, culture, healthcare, ecology, and protection of human rights. Subsequently, it became possible to recognize the media and individuals as “foreign agents”.
Lawyer on the law according to which anyone can become a “foreign agent” in Russia:
