On 20 October 2024, Russian media reported that a court in Moscow had registered a second case this year against journalist Alexey Venediktov on charges of not adding a disclaimer on his “foreign agent” status to his publications. If found guilty, the journalist faces a fine of up to 50 thousand rubles.
As highlighted by these media, a second case against Venediktov within a year means Russian authorities can now open a criminal case against the former editor-in-chief of the now dissolved Echo of Moscow radio station.
Venediktov was originally designated as a “foreign agent” in April 2022, soon after the shuttering of Echo of Moscow in March following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While the reason for Venediktov’s and other journalists’ addition onto Russia’s list of “foreign agents” was not communicated, it is believed that the journalists’ reporting on, or position on the war in Ukraine, was a key factor.
Initially adopted in 2012, Russia’s law on foreign agents has been revised several times over the past decade to include an ever-wider range of potential targets for state-sponsored discrimination. Currently, any organization, media or private individual can be designated as such simply by being declared to be “under foreign influence” by the Russian Ministry of Justice or because of receiving funds of any amount from abroad (or from an entity itself receiving foreign funds). “Foreign agents” are also barred from receiving state financing, teaching at state universities, working with minors and providing expertise on environmental issues, among other restrictions.