Vladimir Putin. Photo: Gavriil Grigorov / AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a series of new repressive laws that further restrict freedom of speech in Russia amid the protracted aggression against Ukraine. This was reported by AFP.
The legislation toughens penalties for “discrediting the Russian army“, calling for sanctions against Russia and contributing to the decisions of international organisations that do not include Russia. In fact, this provides grounds for criminal prosecution of individuals who support, for example, the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023.
The use of the designation “foreign agent” has also been expanded: from now on, persons with this status are prohibited from teaching, being members of supervisory boards of state corporations and cooperating with international organisations that “ignore Russia”.
A new mechanism is particularly dangerous: the confiscation of property of persons convicted under the new articles. This will also affect those who acted “for a reward” and not just out of conviction.
To date, about a thousand people have been added to the list of “foreign agents” in Russia, ranging from journalists and writers to Russia’s first diplomats. In particular, in April, the first Russian foreign minister since the collapse of the USSR, Andrei Kozyrev, who had harshly criticised Putin, was designated a “foreign agent”. He responded to this ironically: “I’m glad to join the noble people who have also been called that.”
