Hours after independent editor Dmitry Muratov was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Russian authorities have appointed several publications and journalists as foreign agents. Bellingcat investigative group and BBC Russian journalist Andrei Zakharov are among those listed. The term “foreign agent” was used by the Soviets for political dissidents.
It has since been used to label independent media organizations and NGOs considered to receive foreign funding. Earlier on Friday, the Nobel committee praised Muratov, who founded the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, for defending freedom of speech in Russia. Although his publication is one of the few independent newspapers that has avoided the label of foreign agents, he said in response to the award: “We will try to help people who have been appointed as agents [të huaj], who are being persecuted and forced to leave Russia ”.
Russia’s justice ministry said it was adding nine journalists and three companies to its list of foreign agents. Bellingcat, registered in the Netherlands, was involved in unmasking Russian agents accused of carrying out the deadly attack of nerve agent Novichok in Salisbury in 2018. Recorded in the US MNews.world and the website of the Caucasus Node, which provides news in the region of Caucasus, are also included.
The journalists added to the list the work for the Russian BBC and TV channel Dozhd – which itself was appointed as a foreign agent in August. Other organizations included Current Time, Radio Liberty and 7 × 7. They include: Andrei Zakharov, a widely respected investigative journalist for BBC Russian Daniil Sotnikov of Dozhd TV – he wrote on Twitter: “unpleasant, but not the end of the world” Tatiana Voltskaya and Ekaterina Klepikovskaya of Radio Liberty Elizaveta Surnacheva and Roman Perl e TV Time Time Galina Arapova, director of the Mass Media Defense Center and lawyer Responding to the corporate decision, said: “The BBC strongly rejects the decision of the Russian authorities to appoint Andrei Zakharov from our Moscow bureau as a ‘foreign agent’.
He said the BBC Russian was “a vital source of accurate and unbiased news for Russian speakers for 80 years”. “Our priority now is to support Andre and make sure he and his colleagues are able to continue reporting on the country at such an important time.” Each individual labeled as a foreign media agent must register and provide details on activities and finances every six months.
All their material, including social media messages, should contain a long message indicating their status as a foreign agent. The BBC also broke away in late August, when Russia expelled former Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford, refusing to extend its visa.
Russia amended the law in 2017, enabling the government to list any foreign media outlets operating in the country as foreign agents. The law came in retaliation for the Kremlin-backed RT broadcaster being told to register as a foreign agent in the US. Daniil Sotnikov’s message posted after his new name illustrated the details of the foreign agent in the capitals that journalists and listed organizations should provide.BBC
To be part of the group »AOL“just click: Join Group and your request will be approved immediately.
Outney
.
