US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Sunday, May 2, again drew attention to the situation around the work in Russia of the US-funded radio station Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE / RL, recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign media agent).
“In Russia, the authorities continue to restrict independent coverage of events, including [это касается] Radio Liberty, Blinken said in a statement released on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.
The coronavirus pandemic “has given repressive governments an excuse to step up pressure on independent media,” the secretary of state said. He also expressed concern about the “intensification of efforts” by the authorities of some countries “to deprive the public of information and knowledge by imposing controls on Internet access and censorship of content.”
According to the law “On Mass Media”, materials from foreign media that perform the functions of a foreign agent can only be posted in Russia with the appropriate labeling. As a result of non-fulfillment of this requirement, protocols were drawn up against Radio Liberty.
As TASS was told in mid-April in Roskomnadzor, the amount of fines for the lack of marking of a foreign media agent, imposed on Radio Liberty, amounted to 79.2 million rubles. 390 administrative offense reports were drawn up against RFE / RL and its general director. At that time, 40 decisions on fines in the amount of 11 million rubles came into force.