Russia: new law expands the Kremlin’s legal persecution of exiled journalists

Bank accounts frozen, consular services blocked… On 24 July, the Russian parliament unanimously adopted a new law targeting Russians in exile who have been designated as “foreign agents” or who cooperate with organisations labelled “undesirable” — and the vast majority are journalists. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns this latest addition to Russia’s repressive legal arsenal against the independent press.

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According to the independent Russian NGO OVD-Info, media professionals are the largest professional group targeted by the “foreign agent” and “undesirable organisation” labels in Russia, accounting for more than one third of all names on both lists. The number of media organisations and workers on these lists has increased sixfold since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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