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A new law on “foreign agents” in Russia came into force on Thursday (1), leading to a tightening crackdown on freedom of expression and opposition to President Vladimir Putin.
The 2012 Foreign Agents Law, passed after a wave of public protests against Putin’s return to the presidency, required organizations that engage in politics and receive funding from abroad To as foreign agents.
Last week, that definition was expanded to include not only individuals or organizations that receive funding from abroad, but also those that “have received assistance and (or) are under foreign influence.”
“Support” from foreign sources is defined not only as financial but also as “organizational and methodological or scientific and technical assistance”.
Since the invasion of the neighboring country, state control in Russia has increased. A few days after the first attacks, the government restricted access to Facebook, some Western news sites and independent media in the country. Peaceful protests were quickly ended and thousands arrested.
In early March, the government passed a law criminalizing the dissemination of socalled “intentionally false” information about the Russian armed forces. The maximum penalty is 15 years in prison.