RS Tom Kent: "The authorities of Russia impede our activities"

The magistrate of the Tver District of the city of Moscow today appointed a fine of media corporation Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in the amount of 100 thousand rubles in the claim of the Ministry of Justice of Russia-for "the failure to provide state authorities of financial information arising from the duties of a non-governmental organization performing the functions of a foreign agent" (Article 19.7.5-2 of the Code of Administrative and Legal violations).

As the lawyer of the RSA/RS explained during the court session, the corporation could not submit documents on time, since the Ministry of Justice of Russia, despite repeated appeals, did not explain the exact procedure for filling them out, and the reporting procedure for the media - “foreign agents” entered into force after the expiration of the report established by law. The leadership of the media corporation considers the options for legal response to the court decision.

According to the President of the RSA/RS Tom Kent , the application of the Law "On Media - Foreign Agents" against media corporation can lead to the criminal prosecution of its Moscow representative office and its employees in Russia and pose a serious threat to their activities. The trial against the RSU/RS is a new link in a series of attempts by the Russian authorities to prevent the work of media corporations and unleash the campaign of suspicion against its journalists, Kent believes.

Tom Kent

According to the President of the RSA/RS, which entered into force last December the Law "On Media - Foreign Agents" from the very beginning set itself political goals: "Of all foreign media working in Russia, only the media, the financing of which is carried out on the basis of Grants of the US Congress, is endowed with the status of" foreign agents ". Only these media became the object of confusing and obscure requirements The laws of the USA directed exclusively are guaranteed the editorial independence of our corporation.

The leadership of the RSE/RS would welcome a situation in which the media corporation would work in Russia on the same conditions on which the RT channel operates in the United States

Over the past year, official Russian representatives and the media associated with the Kremlin accuse the Media Corporations of the RSA/RS and the Voice of America of trying to undermine the country's political system. The correspondent of the RSE/RS in the Crimea, Nikolai Semyon annexed by Russia in September 2017, was sentenced to a conditional time for "calls for separatism." Another freelance employee of the corporation, Stanislav Aseev, has been held in prison for the separatists in eastern Ukraine for about a year on accusations of espionage. Radio Radio Correspondents of Radio Liberty last summer were attacked during an editorial assignment in the Krasnodar Territory. In June 2018, Russian representatives demanded the removal of two publications from one of the RSA/RS sites, one of which spoke about the torture of detainees in the police in Chechnya.

And before, the Russian authorities used legal mechanisms in order to complicate the activities of the RSU/RS. In the early 2000s, regional radio stations, which retired Radio Liberty programs, were accused of non-compliance with fire safety rules and financial violations. The partner network, which included about 35 radio stations, was destroyed as a result. Since 2012, Radio Liberty has been deprived of the possibilities of etheric broadcasting in Russia.

Russian representatives have repeatedly argued that the "Law on Media - Foreign Agents" is a "mirror reaction" to the requirements of American legislation on registration of the RT channel as a "foreign agent". The leadership of the RSE/RS would welcome a situation in which the media corporation would operate in Russia on the same conditions on which the RT channel operates in the United States. RT carries out round-the-clock broadcasting in cable networks throughout the United States, while access to cable networks and broadcasting and broadcasting for foreign media in Russia is significantly limited.

The list of media, published by the Ministry of Justice, which is assigned the status of "Foreign Agent", entered the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Media Projects of the Russian Radio Liberty Service "Factograph" and "Siberia. Realities", Tatar-Bashkir Radio Liberty Service (Azatliqradiosi), and Media projects "IDEL. REALIALS", "Caucasus.real", "Crimea.real".

Here is a commentary on the lawyer Radio Liberty Veronika Demidova about the lawsuit of the Ministry of Justice

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Radio Lawyer Freedom Veronika Demidov about the lawsuit of the Ministry of Justice

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a non-profit media corporation financed by grants provided by the US Congress, distributing information on various platforms (Internet, radio, television, video) for the audience in 23 countries of Eastern and Southeast Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East in 25 languages. The Russian Radio Liberty Service began its work in 1953. American officials are forbidden to intervene in editorial policy issues.