“Kommersant”: a human rights activist and an activist were included in the list of foreign media agents due to comments to “Current Time” and posts on Facebook

Kommersant’s source explained why human rights activist Lev Ponomarev and actionist Daria Apakhonchich, who have nothing to do with journalism, were included in the register of foreign media agents. A lawyer closely familiar with the situation said that to be included in this register you do not have to be a journalist, writes Kommersant .

The newspaper's source explained that Apakhonchich gave a commentary on the Current Time channel, and participation in the creation of the material as an expert is also regarded as co-authorship.

“Mr. Ponomarev disseminated information from the websites of foreign media agents on his Facebook page. It has been confirmed that [Ponomarev and Apakhonchich] received money for this from foreign sources. These two conditions are enough to get on the list,” the lawyer said.

He confirmed that the law does not specifically indicate that a person can receive foreign money specifically for collaborating with a foreign media outlet. “It turns out that any person who receives foreign funding and interacts in terms of information policy with a foreign agent media outlet runs the risk of being included in the register,” the Kommersant source said.

People included in the register of foreign media agents must put warnings on all their materials, including posts on social networks. They are also required to report online on their activities and expenses once every six months. Kommersant’s interlocutor found it difficult to say how such a report should be kept. He admitted that the law does not punish individuals who do not provide reports.

“Theoretically, the requirements can not be met. Indeed, our legislation on foreign agents contains a number of contradictions and lacunae , which our legislators are working on to level out the inconsistencies,” the source said.

Daria Apakhonchich intends to appeal the inclusion in the register of foreign media agents. “I believe that the authorities have noticed our struggle for women’s rights and against domestic violence. And this is how she told us about it. Of course, I would like the authorities to do things that people need,” she said.

Lev Ponomarev believes that he “has entered the list of respected publications and is in good company.” He called the claim that he received foreign money for Facebook posts “complete nonsense.” “I have never received any money from any media. Neither as an author, nor as an expert, nor for reposts on social networks,” he said.

In addition to Apakhonchich and Ponomarev, three journalists were added to the roster. Lawyer of the Memorial Human Rights Center Tatyana Glushkova commented on the decision of the Ministry of Justice to “Such Cases.” According to Glushkova, in order for a person to be recognized as a media agent, he must publicly disseminate information. For example, blogging and receiving funding from foreign sources.

“And he doesn’t even have to work in a company financed from abroad: it’s enough to receive a New Year’s gift from his grandmother from Minsk. It is obvious that almost any resident of Russia meets these criteria,” the lawyer concluded.