Women Press Freedom denounces the Kremlin’s attempts to intimidate critical journalists

Location: Russia
Date: September 1, 2023

Update: July 11, 2024

In a continued attack on press freedom, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation adds several prominent figures, including exiled journalist Kseniya Larina and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov, to its list of "foreign agents." The label can have severe consequences and is intended to intimidate the press and discourage dissent. Women Press Freedom demands the Ministry of Justice immediately remove all journalists and media from this list and cease abusing law to harass journalists.

On September 1, journalist Kseniya Larina was accused of engaging in " undesirable " activities by the Russian government and added to the Ministry of Justice’s register of “foreign agents.” 

Larina is living in exile, having fled Russia for her safety in 2017. She continues to report on Russia and criticize its government for The Insider.

Larina, a former journalist for the now-closed Echo of Moscow radio station, left the country after her colleague Tatyana Felgenhauer was stabbed in the throat. Fortunately, Felgenhauer survived the attempt on her life and continues to report from outside Russia. Felgenhauer, who now lives in Latvia, was added to Russia’s foreign agents register in October 2022.  

Russian authorities passed a new law in December 2022 that established a consolidated foreign agents register, which imposes restrictions on those designated. The law requires people labeled "foreign agents" to regularly submit comprehensive reports of their activities and expenses to authorities. They must also indicate their status as “foreign agents” whenever they produce content or are mentioned in news articles. Failure to comply with these regulations could result in a two-year prison sentence.

On July 11, 2024, the Tagansky District Court of Moscow opened an administrative case against Larina and several other media workers and academics for failing to include the "foreign agent" label on content they created.

Alongside Larina, winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize and editor of Novaya Gazeta Dmitry Muratov and Dozhd journalist Denis Kataev were also labeled “foreign agents.” 

Dimitry Muratov still lives in Russia. Following the announcement of his addition to the list, the Nobel Laureate filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Justice for adding him to the register. He has stepped down as editor of Novaya Gazeta pending legal proceedings. 

When Russian authorities fail to mute dissenting voices through absurd military censorship laws, blocking access to websites, or shutting down media outlets completely, they resort to adding their names to its “foreign agent” register. This is a method of persecuting and intimidating journalists and scaring others away from reporting about them or sharing their content. 

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, critical media within the country has been almost entirely censored, and authorities have imprisoned, detained, and harassed journalists for reporting stories that challenge the Kremlin's narrative.

Women Press Freedom condemns the Russian government’s crackdown on independent journalists and the designation of Kseniya Larina, Dmitry Muratov, and Denis Kataev as “foreign agents.” We urge the international community, including the United Nations and embassies in Russia, to continue to pressure the Russian government to end its persecution of the press.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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