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Highlights
Russia declares Nobel Prize co-recipient Dmitry Muratov a foreign agent.
With the attack on Ukraine, such action has intensified in Russia.
So far 674 people have joined the list of foreign agents in Russia.
Moscow: Russia and Ukraine have been at war for a long time. On the other hand, repression of critics in Russia continues. Meanwhile, there is news that Russia on Friday declared respected journalist and Nobel Prize co-recipient Dmitry Muratov a foreign agent. The move, targeting the editor of Russia’s top independent publication Novaya Gazeta, is part of a broader crackdown on respected civil society organizations. This has been exacerbated by Moscow’s attack on Ukraine.
According to news agency AFP, Russia’s Ministry of Justice justified the decision, saying, ‘Dmitry Muratov used a foreign platform to spread opinions with the aim of creating a negative attitude towards Russia’s foreign and domestic policy.’ The ministry also accused Dmitry Muratov of creating and disseminating material with other foreign agents.
There are 674 people on the list of foreign agents of Russia
And on the website of Novaya Gazeta it is said ‘What is there to comment on this? For comments, contact the Ministry of Justice. It added that the list of foreign agents now includes 674 ‘eligible’ people and entities. The foreign agent label, reminiscent of the Soviet-era term ‘enemy of the people’, adds enormous administrative hurdles. It needs to disclose sources of funding.
Along with this, it forces foreign agents to mark all publications, including social media posts, with the tag. Because of this there is a threat of heavy penalties on foreign agents and people who share their content. The designation is part of a series of draconian ‘undesirable entities’ laws and legislation used by the Kremlin to silence critics.
Who is Dmitry Muratov?
Let us tell you that Dmitry Muratov was the editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, widely respected abroad for his investigative reporting. Russia was often criticized by him. Muratov was a co-winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize. He later auctioned his Nobel Prize, which fetched US$103.5 million. He later said he would use the money to help refugee children in Ukraine.
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Tags: Russia, Russian news, Russia Ukraine war, Vladimir Putin
First published: September 02, 2023, 06:37 IST