For the first time, the court overturned the decision to declare a journalist a “foreign agent”

For the first time, the court overturned the decision to declare a journalist a “foreign agent”

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The court in Vladivostok overturned the decision of the Ministry of Justice to recognize journalist Daniil Gubarev as a “foreign agent”, reports “Mediazon” with reference to lawyer Sergey Valiulin.

According to the publication, this is the first such case in Russia. In 2021, a court in St. Petersburg excluded the HIV service fund “Humanitarian Action” from the register, but six months later the higher court overturned the decision.

Gubarev runs the “news.VL” publication about news in Vladivostok and Primorye.

He was recognized as a “foreign agent” in March 2023. The Ministry of Justice then explained this by the fact that Gubarev lives abroad, in Singapore, and “distributes the materials of other “foreign agents”. “, Rosbalta”, polled by “Levada Center”, video by Maksym Kats and Ekaterina Shulman.

  • Legislation on “foreign agents” in Russia appeared in 2012. The law allowed the Ministry of Justice to recognize non-profit organizations as “foreign agents” if they receive funding from abroad and engage in political activity. The criteria for such activity are not defined in the law, which allows the authorities to persecute, in particular, independent mass media. The law has been tightened several times, expanding its effect not only on organizations, but also on private individuals.
  • According to “Vyorstka”, criminal cases have been opened against 18% of all “foreign agents” in Russia. The most popular article for the persecuted is about the spread of obviously false information, about the actions of the Russian army. The Russian authorities consider so-called fakes any statements different from the official ones made by the Ministry of Defense.
  • From December 1, 2022, anyone who is under “foreign influence” can be declared a foreign agent.

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