Russian Nobel Prize winner Dmitry Muratov fined for acting as a "foreign agent"

Russian journalist Vladimir Muratov and Philippine journalist Maria Ressa received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize together in October.

The Basmanny District Court of Moscow fined Novaya Gazeta and Muratov, its editor-in-chief, on November 11 for allegedly failing to meet disclosure requirements under Russia's foreign agent law​.​​​​

Novaya Gazeta was fined 120,000 rubles ($1,636) and Muratov was fined 12,000 rubles ($163) for "abusing freedom of information" and disseminating foreign agent material without proper disclosure​.​

In a separate case, RBK editor-in-chief Pyotr Kanayev has been charged with failing to label foreign agent material cited in his outlet's reporting, according to reports. Kanayev is due in court on December 3.

According to news reports, the Moscow City Court rejected freelance journalist and Novaya Gazeta contributor Sergey Markelov's appeal of his classification as a foreign agent yesterday. 

Russian law requires organizations labeled as foreign agents to mark all their public statements with disclosures that they were produced by foreign agents. In news coverage, publications must also specify that groups or individuals are foreign agents. 

According to the authorities, Novaya Gazeta reported on two groups, opposition figure Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation and the Doctor's Alliance, without noting that both groups had been designated as foreign agents by the Ministry of Justice.

According to those reports, Novaya Gazeta was not informed about the court hearing, and the fines were issued without any representative of the newspaper present. The outlet and Muratov have the right to appeal the fine.

The foreign agents register currently includes 95 agents and outlets, 78 of which have been added since January 2021.

* This article contained information that was sourced from the Committee to Protect Journalists | Photo Credits: Mikhail Dzhaparidze / TASS