Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a controversial law on Monday allowing independent journalists and bloggers to be labelled as “foreign agents”, a move that critics say will violate media freedom. Russian legislation passed in 2012 already gave authorities the power to brand media organisations and NGOs as foreign agents, a term that has Soviet-era overtones. The new law, which now extends to individuals, will come into effect immediately, according to a document published on the Russian government website. Foreign agents, defined as involved in politics and receiving money from abroad, must register with the justice ministry.
