Russia on Wednesday 3 March designated a doctors' union with links to the main imprisoned Russian opponent Alexei Navalny as "
foreign agent
", a controversial denomination often aimed at critics of power.
Read also: Russia: towards a toughening of the law on "foreign agents"
The Ministry of Justice announced this measure on Wednesday in a press release.
The Doctors' Alliance has come forward for criticizing the city of Moscow's measures in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, with the union accusing city authorities in particular of having failed to protect doctors and downplaying the severity of the epidemic .
The organization is headed by Anastassia Vassilieva, Alexei Navalny's personal physician, circulated in January of a video showing her playing Beethoven on the piano while police raided her home.
Adopted in Russia in 2012, the law on “
foreign agents
” obliges entities recognized as acting for foreigners to restrictive administrative measures and to mention this status in all their publications, under penalty of heavy fines or of prohibitions.
The term has a very negative connotation in the Russian language since it is associated with non-patriotic behavior.
Established in 2018, the Doctors' Alliance has sounded the alarm over shortages of protective equipment for doctors in Russia at the start of the coronavirus pandemic last spring and accused authorities of underestimating the number of employees. of the deceased medical service.
The Justice Department accused the Doctors' Alliance of receiving "
foreign funding
" and of being involved in "
political
" activities.
For her part, a spokesperson for the union, Alexandra Zakharova, rejected the accusations, arguing that the organization did not benefit from foreign funding.
She assured that the Alliance of Physicians would continue its activities.
"
Many doctors are in a difficult situation and we plan to continue to help them,
" she told AFP.
Recently, Russia approved tougher legislation on people and organizations referred to as “
foreign agents
”.
According to these amendments, an individual or group receiving material or financial support from abroad or from organizations already considered as “foreign agents” can now also be designated in this way, without a court ruling.