The Ministry of Internal Affairs has put the former coordinator of the “Voice” movement in Pskov, Vladimir Zhilinsky, on the wanted list. Mediazona drew attention to his card in the department’s search database.
The criminal case against Zhilinsky became known on January 11. He is being prosecuted under the article on evading the duties of a “foreign agent” (Part 2 of Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code).
The Ministry of Justice added the activist to the register of “foreign agents” on September 29, 2021 - on the same day as OVD-Info and many other participants in “Golos”. In December of the same year, the man and his family left for Georgia. He was repeatedly fined under administrative “foreign agent” articles.
Criminal liability under the article on evading the duties of a “foreign agent” may be faced if, within one year, two decisions under the administrative article on violation of the procedure for the activities of a “foreign agent” (19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) come into force.
- 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.”