Russia labels exiled journalist Galina Timchenko a ‘foreign agent’

New York, September 3, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists denounces the Russian Ministry of Justice’s latest bid to intimidate the press by adding Galina Timchenko, exiled co-founder of the independent news site Meduza, to its list of so-called “foreign agents.”

The ministry accused Timchenko — winner of CPJ’s 2022 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award — of participating in the creation of “foreign agent” content, speaking out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and of spreading “false information” about the Russian government and military.

“The designation of Galina Timchenko as a “foreign agent” is the latest move by Russian authorities to exert pressure on Meduza’s independent reporting,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Russian authorities should immediately repeal their infamous legislation on ‘foreign agents,’ one of their preferred tools to harass journalists and media in exile, and let the press work freely.”

Individuals designated as “foreign agents” must regularly submit detailed reports of their activities and expenses to authorities, and their status must be listed whenever they produce content or are mentioned in news articles, according to the law. Noncompliance can lead to a two-year prison sentence. In recent years, Russian authorities have designated hundreds of media outlets and journalists as “foreign agents,” including Meduza.

In 2023, Meduza was also banned as an “undesirable” organization,” which means it cannot operate in Russia and makes it a crime to distribute the outlet’s content, such as sharing it online, or to donate to it. In June, a Moscow court fined Timchenko 14,000 rubles (US$160) for participating in the activities of an “undesirable” organization.