Moscow denies permit for anti-“foreign agents” law rally scheduled for today
Moscow rejected an application to protest Russia’s so-called foreign agents law today.
The rally, planned by the Journalists’ and Media Workers’ Union, was meant to protest the labeling of a number of independent media outlets and their employees as foreign agents under the amended legislation. Union members have denounced the actions as suppression of the media and information and will host a meeting on the 2nd of September to coordinate further collective action.
Moscow’s foreign agents law, passed in December 2020, allows individuals and organizations to be labeled foreign agents for receiving any international assistance for political activity. The far-reaching law has largely been used to target opposition to President Vladimir Putin.
The disappearance of viable media outlets and critical sources of information has helped to strengthen the hold of the incumbent United Russia Party and President Putin. As such, a continued crackdown on these outlets is expected to continue. In the short-term to medium-term, many outlets will likely shut down or be forced to move abroad in the face of persecution. Long-term, civil liberties and dissent in Russia will continue to decrease, as opposition members living abroad have a harder time organizing domestic action against Putin.
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