Putin prohibits 'foreign agents' from looking for corruption in Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that prohibits independent anti-corruption inspections of legislative acts and their projects i.e. citizens with an unexpunged or unspent conviction and non-profit organizations deemed as “foreign agents”.
Interfax reported that the law “is aimed at improving the legal regulation of independent anti-corruption inspections”.
“International and foreign organizations no longer have an opportunity to conduct inspections. Citizens who were dismissed from their positions due to the loss of trust for committing a corruption offence and were recorded in the relevant register will not be permitted to conduct such an inspection,” the statement said.
Persons who carry out activities in the government, local governments, and state corporations that conduct anti-corruption inspections will not be permitted to carry out independent anti-corruption inspections either.
In 2017, the Russian Ministry of Justice recognized nine media outlets as foreign agents. According to the law On Mass Media, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Voice of America, Current Time TV, Sibir.Realii, Kavkaz.Realii, Idel.Realii, Tatar-Bashkir Service of Radio Liberty, Crimea.Realii, and Factograph were deemed as “foreign media acting as foreign agents”.