(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 14 - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new law that allows Russian authorities to stamp with the infamous label of "foreign agent" entities and people even if they do not receive funding from abroad, an element previously required for the inclusion in the list of "foreign agents".
This was reported by Novaya Gazeta Europa, specifying that according to the new law, which will come into force on 1 December and is considered a new instrument of political repression, the Russian regime can brand entities and persons it defines as "under foreign influence" as "foreign agents" "support from abroad", including non-financial ones, and carry out "political activity".
The Kremlin has been using the label of "foreign agent" for years to target NGOs, independent media and opponents.
Russian law currently allows the Moscow government to label organizations that receive funds from abroad and are engaged in unspecified "political activities" with the label of "foreign agent": a rather broad definition, which actually allows the authorities to target various entities deemed "inconvenient".
The inclusion in the list of "foreign agents" imposes a strict administrative control and obliges to present oneself with this label, which in fact forced several institutions to close.
In June, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Russia for having promulgated the law on "foreign agents" in 2012, stating that it violates the right to freedom of association and the right to freedom of expression.
(HANDLE).
