Editors-in-chief of independent media outlets propose amendments to Russia’s ‘foreign agents’ law

The publishers and top editors of nearly two dozen Russian media outlets — including Dozhd (TV Rain), Novaya Gazeta, and Ekho Moskvy — have published an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, his press secretary, and the head of the Justice Ministry, calling for changes to the law on “foreign agents.”

The appeal outlines 12 proposed amendments to the law. In particular, the signatories insist that this designation should only be handed down by court order, and calls for removing provisions from the legislation that allow for the arbitrary application of the law.

In addition, the letter suggests simplifying the accounting procedure for “foreign agents” and establishing a process for lifting this status altogether. As well, the signatories call for “prohibiting the recognition of journalists working for ‘foreign-agent media outlets’ as ‘foreign-agent individuals,’ because this practice violates the principle of the prohibition of double punishment.”

As well, the letter proposes establishing a minimum allowable share of foreign funding for media outlets (specifically, 30 percent); “foreign agent” status should not be handed down to any outlet that stays below this threshold, the letter says.

Finally, the authors of the letter call for cancelling the existing list of “foreign agent” media outlets.

The appeal was signed by the publishers and editors-in-chief of 22 media outlets.