Vladimir Putin tightens the repression against dissident. Laws promulgated Monday by Russia's President
Vladimir Putin, photographed during the comments he made on March 18 at the annual Congress of the Russian Union of Industry and Enterprises, photo: Maxim Shemetov / AP / Profimedia Images
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, signed a series of laws on Monday that tighten the dissent -repression measures, while Moscow continues its military campaign in Ukraine, AFP reports.
The new legislation incriminates the “discredit” of the army or requesting sanctions against Russia. At the same time, it forbids the “support of the implementation of decisions” taken by the international organizations of which Moscow is not part.
Such a measure could be applied, for example, in the case of the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant on the behalf of Vladimir Putin in April 2023.
The legislation stipulates that it can be used against those who act “for a fee” or for lucrative purposes.
The measures come in the context of the repression unleashed by Moscow against the dissident and freedom of expression after the launch of the Ukraine offensive.
It also targets “foreign agents”
Another new law forbids the “foreign agents”, a label used by Moscow to target the critics of the Putin regime and the war in Ukraine, to carry out any educational activities or to be part of the state corporations board.
Those who help international organizations that exclude Russia or request sanctions against the country can now be treated as foreign agents, sets one of the decrees promulgated by Vladimir Putin.
Russia has adopted a law on foreign agents in 2012 and obliges the persons in this category to mention this in each public statement they do, in an attempt to undermine their legality.
About one thousand people and organizations, including well -known musicians, writers and journalists, are currently on the list of foreign agents.
This month, the Russian authorities declared “foreign agent” and Andrei Kozîrev, Russia's post-Soviet foreign minister, who became a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, according to Reuters.
Asked about the decision of the Russian authorities, the former Foreign Minister said that she reflects the “stupidity of the regime”.
“I am happy to join those noble people who were also designated foreign agents,” said the former Russian official.
The classification as a foreign agent forced many of those concerned with this measure to go into exile, sometimes keeping properties in the country as they had to run away.
The laws signed on Monday by Vladimir Putin also provide for the confiscation of the goods in the case of those convicted for such accusations.
