The
Russian Justice Ministry has sent letters to nine media outlets on
their possible registration as foreign agents. Voice of America and
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty are among those that could be
recognized as foreign agents, the ministry said.
The
ministry also sent letters to the administration of the
Kavkaz.Realii, Krym Realii and Sibir Realii websites, as well as
Radio Azatliq - all of which are Radio Liberty branches based in
Russia. The Current Time TV channel, a joint project of Voice of
America and Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, as well as the Radio
Liberty-owned factograph.info website and IdelRealii project also
received letters.
On
Wednesday, the Russian State Duma passed the third and final reading
of the bill, which requires mass-media outlets operating in the
country but funded from abroad to register as foreign agents. The
bill is a mirror response to Washington’s demand for RT to register
as a foreign agent.
Media
outlets that refuse to register as foreign agents may face sanctions
similar to those applied in the case of NGOs and other groups which
are currently regulated by the original foreign-agents law.
“Any
attempts to attack the freedom of Russian mass media abroad are not
and will not be left without resolute denunciation and a mirror
reaction from Moscow. The approved bill will make it possible to
express our reaction in due time,” Vladimir Putin’s Press
Secretary Dmitry Peskov said after the bill was passed.
In
September, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) demanded that the
company supplying services to RT America in the US should register
under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) before November 13.
The US administration threatened to freeze the company’s assets if
it failed to comply.
Commenting
on the bill, RT’s editor-in-chief offered her condolences on
Wednesday to all journalists “at all media organizations –
Russian and foreign alike – who have been caught up in Washington’s
political games.”
Source,
links:
Comments
Post a Comment