Russian bailiffs show up at US broadcaster s office
May 14, 2021
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1of3FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 15, 2010 file photo, the headquarters of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is seen with the United States flag in the foreground, in Prague. Russian court bailiffs have shown up at U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Moscow Bureau to notify it about the launch of enforcement proceedings over unpaid fines. RFE/RL on Friday, May 14, 2021 denounced the move as a serious escalation in the Russian government’s campaign to drive it out of the country. (Michal Kamaryt/CTK via AP, file)MICHAL KAMARYT/APShow MoreShow Less
FILE PHOTO: A view shows the newsroom of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) broadcaster in Moscow, Russia April 6, 2021. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia on Friday designated online news site VTimes a foreign agent and also sent bailiffs to the Moscow office of U.S. broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) over unpaid fines in a widening crackdown on media critical of the Kremlin.
VTimes is the second outlet in less than a month to be designated a foreign agent after Meduza, a popular independent news site, was so labelled. Meduza says the move has hindered its ability to do journalism and destroyed its business.
MOSCOW (AP) – Russian court bailiffs showed up Friday at U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Moscow bureau to notify it about the launch of enforcement proceedings over unpaid fines.
RFE/RL denounced the move as a serious escalation in the Russian government’s campaign to drive it out of the country.
“RFE/RL will continue to fight these desperate attempts by the Kremlin to censor uncomfortable truths,” RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said in a statement. “We will not be silenced by these heavy-handed tactics and we will not abandon our Russian audience.”
Last year, Russia’s media watchdog Roskomnadzor ordered the media designated as foreign agents, including RFE/RL, to add a lengthy statement to news reports, social media posts and audiovisual materials specifying that the content was created by an outlet “performing the functions of a foreign agent.”
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has called the move one of "desparate attempts" at censorship after bailiffs visited its Moscow office. Meanwhile, Russia has declared the US to be an "unfriendly state."
Russian bailiffs show up at US broadcaster s office
FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 15, 2010 file photo, the headquarters of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is seen with the United States flag in the foreground, in Prague. Russian court bailiffs have shown up at U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Libertyâs Moscow Bureau to notify it about the launch of enforcement proceedings over unpaid fines. RFE/RL on Friday, May 14, 2021 denounced the move as a serious escalation in the Russian governmentâs campaign to drive it out of the country. (Michal Kamaryt/CTK via AP, file) May 14, 2021 - 11:14 AM