Russia accused Dmitry Muratov of creating and distributing content from other foreign agents. (File)
Moscow, Russia:
Russia added authoritative journalist and Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov to its list of foreign agents on Friday. This is a label often used by authorities to suppress critics.
The move, which targets the editor of Russia’s top independent publication Novaya Gazeta, is part of a broader crackdown on a respected civil society institution, fueled by Moscow’s attack on Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Justice justified the decision, saying that Dmitry Muratov “used foreign platforms to disseminate opinions aimed at forming a negative attitude towards the foreign and domestic policies of the Russian Federation.” said he did.
The ministry also accused Dmitry Muratov of creating and distributing content from other foreign agents.
Novaya Gazeta’s website says, “What should I comment on? Please contact the Ministry of Justice for comments.”
He added that the list of foreign operatives now includes 674 “worthy” persons and organizations.
Reminiscent of the Soviet-era phrase “enemy of the people,” the label imposes heavy administrative restrictions and requires disclosure of funding sources.
It also requires foreign agencies to tag all publications, including social media posts.
This puts foreign agents and people sharing content at risk of hefty fines.
The designation, along with the tougher “unwanted organization” tag, is part of a series of laws the Kremlin uses to silence its critics.
Since sending troops to Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian government has ramped up its efforts to root out opposition.
Most high-profile opponents are in prison or in exile.
While many independent journalists work abroad, Dmitry Muratov was recently spotted in Russia.
He is part of the defense team defending his friend Oleg Orlov, co-chair of the Russian human rights group Memorial.
Orlov is on trial over his lone picket for violence in Ukraine and an op-ed titled ‘They wanted fascism, they got it’ published in the French publication Mediapart. .
He has been charged with discrediting the military, which is part of a tool the Russian government uses against critics of military operations.
Overall, thousands of ordinary Russians have been detained for protesting the Ukrainian conflict.
Since the offensive began, many prominent opposition politicians have been jailed, including Ilya Yassin and Vladimir Kara-Murza.
Putin’s main opposition politician, Alexei Navalny, has been in prison since 2021.
While the attacks in Ukraine have accelerated the crackdown, the space for free expression in Russia has continued to shrink over the years.
When Dmitry Muratov jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, he dedicated the prize to the “fallen” journalists of Novaya Gazeta who “gave their lives for their profession.”
Since 2000, Novaya Gazeta has had six journalists and contributors killed, including investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot dead in Moscow on Vladimir Putin’s birthday.
Co-founded in 1993 by former Soviet leader and fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner Mikhail Gorbachev, Novaya Gazeta is one of the few media outlets left in Russia to voice criticism of Putin.
(Except for the headline, this article is unedited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
