Russia tightens media law: revenge for "unfriendly actions" abroad

Created: 06/29/2022, 22:51

By: Nail Akkoyun

Vladimir Putin at a press conference in the Kremlin.

(Archive photo) © Aleksey Nikolskyi/Imago

In Russia, people are reacting to foreign measures against their own media and are tightening the media law – but their own country is also affected.

MOSCOW – Russia's State Duma passed a law on Wednesday (June 29) that expands the Prosecutor General's Office's powers to ban media companies and ban journalists from their professions.

This is reported by the Russian state agency Ria Novsti.

In addition, the Attorney General's Office can in future decide to ban foreign media activities in Russia or restrict the activities of individual reporters in the event of "hostile decisions against Russian media abroad".

The justification states that this should be a prompt reaction to "unfriendly actions against the Russian media".

As early as May, there were warnings that Vladimir Putin was building more and more “dictatorial conditions”.

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Russia tightens media law: fight against "dangerous information"

It is also proposed to add a new article to the Law on Mass Media that could invalidate the registration of a medium.

Broadcasting licenses are also to be confiscated if it is determined "that illegal, dangerous, untrustworthy information is being disseminated [...] that is intended to "discredit" the deployment of the armed forces" in the Ukraine war.

Foreign journalists can lose their accreditation in Russia in future if sanctions or measures are imposed against Russian media in their home country.

(nak)