MOSCOW -- Russian authorities plan to introduce a registry of people who have links with companies, organizations, or media outlets that have been officially recognized as "foreign agents," another move to broaden the state's crackdown on civil society.
A committee at the Russian parliament's lower chamber, the State Duma, prepared the bill, which is expected to be officially proposed for debate soon, according to the legislature's website.
Russia already maintains multiple lists of individuals and entities it considers to be working as "foreign agents," a label that is handed down in keeping with the country's so-called foreign agent legislation adopted in 2012.
Among other things, the designation requires nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign assistance -- and which are considered by the government to be engaged in political activities -- to register as "foreign agents," to identify themselves as such, and to submit to audits.
They also must label any content they produce with an intrusive disclaimer, or face criminal fines for not doing so. Kremlin critics say the "foreign agent" designation brings up Soviet-era connotations that are intended to root out any independent civic activity in Russia.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5
Russia's 'Foreign Agent' Law: A Blunt Instrument To Silence Dissent
According to the new bill, individuals who were labeled as foreign agents, as well as former and current employees, founders, and CEOs of media outlets, noncommercial and nongovernmental organizations that were officially recognized as foreign agents would be included in the new registry, which will be maintained by the Justice Ministry.
The foreign agent law has been increasingly used by officials to shutter civil society and media groups in Russia.
The original 2012 legislation, which targeted NGOs and rights groups, has since been expanded to target media organizations, individual journalists, YouTube vloggers, and pretty much anyone who receives money from outside Russia and, in the eyes of the Kremlin, voices a political opinion.
RFE/RL has 18 journalists who are Russian nationals on the government's "foreign agents" list and faces over $13 million in assessed fines.