by Julia Juchno
Well known for his rather restrictive approach to freedom of speech and expression, president Vladimir Putin of Russia signed a new law on Monday, requiring everyone who distributes information while being paid from abroad to register as a foreign agent. What exactly does it mean for the online publishers?
Non-profit organizations in Russia obtaining funds from abroad have faced the struggle of being labelled “foreign agents” for years. The consequences? Far more problematic than it could seem. Fines and bureaucratic hurdles – this is just the tip of the iceberg. The U.S.-based MacArthur Foundation has ceased to work in Russia, saying laws restricting foreign organizations had made it impossible for them to continue their activity. The foundation has provided about $170 million in grants since 1992 to Russian organizations in fields such as higher education or human rights. The fines were severe enough to shut down virtually all Russian NGOs.
Is the Communist Regime really just a memory?
From now on, the same bureaucratic terror will be imposed on online publishers receiving money from abroad. Is it just me or does it look like the most vivid memories of the communist regime have survived long after the regime itself has been overthrown?
The new legal amendments signed by Putin will require publishers to register as foreign agents if they publish “printed, audio, audiovisual, or other reports and materials” and obtain funds from foreign governments, organizations, or even simply other individuals living abroad. This has immensely significant impact on the freedom of speech in Russia, as mainly the publishers receiving foreign money tend to be the ones who reveal the naked truth about country’s political situation. Without their courage to question Putin’s political regime, there is not much more left than hypocrisy and propaganda.
These amendments were passed despite strong opposition coming from both domestic and international critics, figures and organizations.
“It may have a considerable chilling effect on journalists, as well as on bloggers, experts, or other individuals publishing information, particularly online” says Harlem Désir, a member of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/02/world/europe/russia-foreign-agents-law.html
A demonstration demanding internet freedom in Moscow in April last year.
What now?
Recently, human rights group Memorial faced severe fines for noncompliance — precisely, for failing to put their foreign agent status on an Instagram account. How far will Putin go? How much control can one individual assert, in a theoretically democratic country? For how long will we stare at this process letting the freedom of speech in Russia practically disappear? I am not going to address these questions now – I will leave them open for each of you to answer.
