Ministry of Justice: in 2022, fines for “foreign agents” are 60 times higher than the fines a year earlier

In 2022, the amount of fines to “foreign agents” amounted to 228.6 million rubles, which is 60 times more than in 2021. This was reported by Kommersant with reference to the report of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation submitted to the State Duma.

It follows from the report that a total of 158 protocols of violations were drawn up against “foreign agents” - in 2021 there were 82. Roskomnadzor drew up 156 protocols, and the Ministry of Justice - two more. The total amount of fines imposed by the courts in 2021 was 3.8 million rubles, which is 60 times less than in 2022.

Last year, the number of “foreign agents” also increased significantly: 188 people and organizations were added to the register, while in 2021 108 individuals were recognized as “foreign agents”.

The Ministry of Justice reviewed 25 applications for exclusion from the register, satisfying the requirements in ten cases. 118 “foreign agents” tried to appeal their inclusion in the register in court; in 2021, the number of appeals was 43. The courts did not grant a single such petition last year.

• The legislation on “foreign agents” is becoming stricter every year. On December 1, 2022, the law “On control over the activities of persons under foreign influence” came into force, as well as numerous legislative amendments to “foreign agency” regulation. You can read about the list of “affiliated persons”, new registers and other innovations in the law on “foreign agents” in the analysis of OVD-Info .
• In addition, Vladimir Putin signed a law on imprisonment for a term of up to five years for “foreign agents” who were brought to justice twice in a year for violating the procedure for the activities of a “foreign agent” (Article 19.34 of the Administrative Code).
• In the fall of 2021, OVD-Info launched the Inoteka project. We explore the practice of applying laws on “foreign agents”, talk about their impact on civil society and specific people, initiate discussions with experts and suggest ways of possible changes. In December 2021, together with the Center for the Protection of Media Rights, we began to provide legal support to people and organizations that were included in the registers of “foreign agents.”