Its approval yesterday at full speed by the Russian Congress and its signature by the president Vladimir Putinalso carried out in record time, were “necessary and urgent”, he insisted the day after the regulations came into force.
After its adoption, media Russians and foreigners announced the suspension of their activities in Russia.
One of them was the British network BBC, which made the decision before a “legislation that appears to criminalize independent journalism”.
“It leaves us no choice but to temporarily suspend work,” said the entity’s director general, Tim Davie, in a statement, in which he argued that he did not want to “expose his journalists to the risk of being criminally prosecuted simply for doing their job.” .
“Our BBC news service in Russian will continue to operate from outside Russia,” he said in the text reproduced by the AFP news agency.
Amid a fierce news dispute over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, another law passed yesterday punishes those calling for “sanctions against Russia,” just as the country faces heavy penalties from Western powers.
The RT television channel was also blocked by Instagram and Facebook in 27 European countries, and Google had previously decided to block YouTube channels linked to Russian media in Europe.
This week, Twitter also decided to label some personal accounts of journalists who collaborate in the RT and Sputnik media with a legend that reads “media affiliated with the Government” under their name, a measure that according to the company “offers more context and transparency”, but which was harshly criticized for stigmatizing journalists.
The Russian response was immediate. The media regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced that it limited access to the portals of the Russian edition of the BBC and the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
Also victims of this measure were the portal Meduza and Radio Svoboda, the Russian antenna of RFE/RL (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty), a medium financed by the US Congress; to Voice of America, among others.
Roskomnadzor yesterday completely blocked access to Facebook, in response to the restriction of access to the national media, and later adopted the same decision with Twitter, in this case at the request of a prosecutor’s office.
“Soon millions of Russians are going to be cut off from reliable information, deprived of everyday ways to connect with family and friends, and silenced from speaking out.”Meta Global Affairs President Nick Clegg reacted.
Source: Ambito
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