At least 17 “foreign agent” journalists have been persecuted over the past week

Over the past week, courts have considered at least 33 cases against “foreign agents.” We tell you which actors, journalists and even representatives of the Z-community received fines or real sentences.

New “foreign agents” - now there are 1,235 of them

• " Libertarian Party of Russia ". The Ministry of Justice indicated 24 people as its participants, including politician Mikhail Svetov, ex-candidate for the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Marina Matsapulina and ex-deputy of the Komi State Council Viktor Vorobyov. In the list of participants, representatives of the Ministry of Justice mixed the composition of two decision-makers at once (previously the party split into two independent organizations);
• project for journalists “ Fourth Sector ”;
• journalist Alexander Polivanov ;
• writer Dmitry Petrov .

The Ministry of Justice accused the new “foreign agents” of opposing the war in Ukraine and disseminating “inaccurate information about the decisions taken by public authorities of the Russian Federation and the policies they pursue.”

Received fines for failure to submit reports

Fines for failure to report

Z-blogger and ex-adviser to the Kursk governor Roman Alekhin received a fine of 30,000 rubles for failing to report himself as a “foreign agent” . According to him, the court considered posts mentioning other “foreign agents” to be prohibited activities, although Alekhine “argued with them and acted in his own interests and in the interests of Russia: he defended the residents of the Kursk region, the work of the regional government, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the Russian view of events and his own reputation.” The case was considered by Kursk court judge Olga Konovalova .

A court in Murmansk prosecuted journalist Denis Zagorye under the same article . It is unknown what exact punishment Judge Nikolai Vartanyan imposed.

Who couldn't challenge the fines?

1. Journalist Matvey Ganapolsky , who challenged the fine for lack of labeling on publications;
2. human rights activist Alexander Cherkasov , who challenged the fine for failing to report himself as a “foreign agent”;
3. playwright Arthur Solomonov , who was previously fined 30,000 rubles for failing to report himself as a “foreign agent”;
4. politician Dmitry Gudkov , who received a fine for failure to submit reports to the Ministry of Justice.

Criminal cases

A criminal case was opened against human rights activist and journalist Olga Romanova for failure to comply with the duties of a “foreign agent” (Part 2 of Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code), she faces up to two years in prison. The Moscow prosecutor’s office cited the lack of blanks on Romana’s posts “in the channel of one of the messengers she administers” as the reason for the persecution.

Journalist Arkady Babchenko was sentenced in absentia to 1.5 years in prison for failure to comply with the duties of a “foreign agent.” He was also banned for two years from engaging in activities “related to website administration.” At the same time, as Mediazona notes , the state prosecutor requested a period of six months less.