Speeches and Interviews of the Permanent Representative

STATEMENT BY MR. ALEXANDER LUKASHEVICH,
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION,
AT THE 1249th MEETING OF THE OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL
28 November 2019

On amendments to the Russian Law on Information

Mr. Chairperson,
At the third reading on 21 November, the State Duma of the Russian Federation approved the adoption of amendments to the laws “on the media” and “on information, information technology and information protection”. On 25 November, the Federation Council endorsed the draft law. Nevertheless, it would be incorrect to regard its passage through both houses of the Russian Parliament as synonymous with its final adoption. The act must be submitted to the President for signature.
In short, according to the new law, individuals may be recognized as mass media functioning as foreign agents if they distribute messages or materials (including on the Internet) intended for an unlimited number of people, and receive funding from abroad. It is not a question of the mass application of the new norm. The phrase “may be recognized” merely indicates its possible application as a countermeasure. The law does not forbid the activities of these mass media. They may pursue their work without hindrance subject to proper marking of their materials, registration and reporting. Violations are sanctioned merely by administrative fines.
By the way, in the United States of America, which also criticizes this initiative, the notorious Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) of 1938 also applies to individuals. Moreover, a similar offence under US law is subject to criminal liability, including imprisonment for up to five years, and not administrative liability, as in Russia. Somehow, we do not recall the European Union expressing its “serious concerns” in this regard. Among recent examples, it is worth recalling the Russian Maria Butina, who spent a year and a half in a US prison for not having been registered as a foreign agent. The conditions in US prisons are worthy of serious discussion in their own right.
Moreover, the application of FARA law in the United States is highly selective. Russia Today and the Chinese television station CGTN are recognized as foreign agents, while for some reason BBC television, which receives financing from the United Kingdom, is not. I recall that the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, also criticized the decision of the US Department of Justice, which applied the aforementioned law against Russia Today.We should like to emphasize once again that the measures being taken in Russia are a necessary response to unjustified and politically motivated actions by foreign countries, primarily the United States of America.
Thank you for your attention.
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