Nobel laureate placed on Russia’s ‘foreign agents’ list
The Russian Justice Ministry has added 2021 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dmitry Muratov to its list of ‘foreign agents’, after accusing the long time editor-in-chief of the liberal newspaper Novaya Gazeta of spreading negative attitudes towards the country abroad.
Muratov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together with Filipino investigative reporter Maria Ressa in honor of their "commitment to free speech," which was described by the award’s committee as “a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.”
At the time, the Kremlin congratulated the journalist. “He persistently works in accordance with his own ideals, he is devoted to them, he is talented, he is brave,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the time.
The journalist reacted to the committee’s decision by paying tribute to jailed opposition figure Alexey Navalny, saying he would have voted for him. Novaya Gazeta was known for its critical stance on many Russian policies. Muratov himself was also highly critical of the military campaign in Ukraine.
Two months ago, he gave a speech at the Global Media Forum, organized by German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle, where he claimed that Russia was moving towards a ‘junta’ rule and was no longer part of Europe.
In its decision on Friday, the Russian Justice Ministry accused the journalist of “using foreign venues to disseminate opinions aimed at forming a negative attitude towards Russia’s foreign and domestic policies.”
Muratov was added to the ‘foreign agent’ list along with eight other people, including several journalists, a former MP, an economist, and a comedian, all of whom were accused of either spreading misinformation about Russian policies or calling for unauthorized protests and disseminating anti-Russian sentiments.
The status of ‘foreign agent’ in Russia is reserved for people that either receive foreign funding or are ‘under foreign influence’ and seek to sway Russia’s policies or public opinion. The law on foreign agents was passed in 2012. In 2018, it was amended to allow the Justice Ministry to label individuals as ‘foreign agents’.
Muratov himself has criticized this policy, calling it “shameful.”
