To the chief editor of the Agentura.ru project Andrei Soldatov was charged under the article on cooperation with an undesirable organization (Article 20.33 of the Code of Administrative Offenses), the documents were sent to the Basmanny District Court of Moscow. Mediazona drew attention to this.
In a conversation with the publication, Soldatov noted that the protocol was most likely drawn up because of his comments for Meduza.
Meduza was declared an “undesirable organization” in January 2023. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the organization poses a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order and security of Russia.
- Agentura.ru is a Russian project covering the activities of special services. Journalists prepare their own investigations and systematize data from open sources. The project was launched in September 2000.
- Since 2015, according to Russian law , foreign or international organizations that, in the opinion of the authorities, pose a “threat to the foundations of the constitutional order of the Russian Federation, the country’s defense capability, or the security of the state” can be considered “undesirable.” Such organizations are prohibited from operating on the territory of the country, and a number of other restrictions are also imposed on them—for example, they are not allowed to distribute information materials in Russia.
- Participation in the activities of an “undesirable organization” is subject to administrative liability (Article 20.33 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, the maximum penalty is a fine of up to 15 thousand rubles for citizens), and in case of repeated participation , criminal liability is also provided for (Part 1 of Article 284.1 of the Criminal Code, the maximum penalty is imprisonment for up to four years).