In retaliatory move, Putin signs media 'foreign agents' law
Story highlights
- Foreign media outlets in Russia are now allowed to be listed as "foreign agents"
- The move comes after the US pushed RT America to register as a foreign agent
(CNN)Russian
President Vladmir Putin has signed amendments into law that will allow
foreign media outlets in Russia to be listed as "foreign agents,"
according to state-run news agency Sputnik news.
Russian
officials have said the change is a retaliatory response to the US
government's request that RT, the Russian TV network, register its
American arm as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration
Act (FARA).
Sputnik reports the amendments signed by Putin had been previously approved by both chambers of the Russian parliament.
"According
to the text of the law, media that receive financial assistance from
foreign states or organizations can be recognized as foreign agents,
while the decision on which outlets will be classified as 'foreign
agents' will be taken by the Ministry of Justice."
US scrutiny of Russian outlets
The
operations of RT, formerly known as Russia Today, and Sputnik news have
faced greater scrutiny in the US over the past year. RT was singled out in a intelligence community report in January on Russia's attempts to influence the 2016 US election.
RT
"conducts strategic messaging for [the] Russian government" and "seeks
to influence politics, [and] fuel discontent in the U.S.," the report
stated. The report also said Sputnik, a Russian government-controlled
news site, was "another government-funded outlet producing pro-Kremlin
radio and online content."
RT had
initially skipped an October deadline to register as a foreign agent in
an attempt to fight the Department of Justice's requirement. T&R
Productions LLC, the production company behind RT America, relented and filed as a foreign agent with the Department of Justice in mid-November.
"Americans
have a right to know who is acting in the United States to influence
the U.S. government or public on behalf of foreign principals," Acting
Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana J. Boente said in a statement at the time.
Russia threatens retaliation
The
US demands have caused Russian officials to threaten similar
restrictions on US-funded media outlets acting in Russia, such as Radio
Free Europe and its television sister network Current Time.
Tom Kent, president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, said it was too early to speculate on the effects of the new amendments.
"We
can't speculate at this point (on) the effect of this new law since no
news organization has been specifically named as a foreign agent and the
restrictions to be imposed have not been announced," Kent said.
"But
we can say we remain committed to continuing our journalistic work of
providing accurate and objective news to our Russian speaking audience."
US
Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman was in the Moscow bureau of Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty this month and said the administration is
"very concerned" about this new law, according to Kent.
In
mid-September, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
issued a warning that Russia would retaliate if the US took action
against Russian-funded media outlets RT and Sputnik.
"When
it comes down to a fight with no rules, when the law is twisted and
turned into an instrument for the destruction of a TV company, every
step against a Russian media outlet will be met with an corresponding
response," she said.
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