Committee to Protect Journalists Protests Russia's Restriction on Free Flow of Information

The Committee to Protect Journalists states that Russia is taking another step in its systematic policy against the free flow of information and news by using the term "foreign agent" for journalists and bloggers. This New York-based NGO issued a statement on Tuesday, July 3, calling on Russian officials to change their policy to allow Russian citizens to access a wide range of information and become familiar with diverse viewpoints. Just hours before this statement, the Communications Committee of the Russian Duma approved an amendment to a bill that allows officials to label employees of media outlets designated as "foreign agents" by the Russian Ministry of Justice with this title. This amendment requires the mentioned media employees to provide an annual report of their activities throughout the year and to indicate the title "foreign agent" on forms and documents. The Russian Duma had approved the general principles of this bill last winter and is set to review it again in another session. For the bill to become law, it must be approved by both chambers of the Russian legislature and ultimately signed by President Vladimir Putin. Leonid Levin, head of the Duma's Information and Communications Committee and one of the bill's authors, told the Russian news agency Interfax that the Foreign Ministry and the Attorney General's Office are responsible for designating individuals as foreign agents to receive more support in response to sudden decisions by the Ministry of Justice. According to him, bloggers who "merely repost information and data from foreign agents" will not face trouble from now on. The Ministry of Justice will also determine which media outlets fall under the "foreign agent" classification. Reports indicate that the amendment to this bill also proposes a mechanism that prevents the banning of websites and other media without a court order. This bill has raised concerns that Moscow could use it to target foreign journalists working in Russia and media outlets. Consequently, media freedom advocacy groups and Western governments have criticized it. Last winter, the Russian Ministry of Justice listed "Voice of America," "Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty," and several other news outlets as foreign agents.