Russia stops 'foreign agents' from using Russian language
A new law in Russia will stop 'foreign agents' from using the Russian language for education. This means they cannot write, speak in public, teach, or post on social media in Russian.
The government also made new rules, which make it extremely tough for foreign agents agents to earn money by selling books or property in Russia.
If they break the law, both the foreign agent and any group that works with them will be punished. Experts say that this new rule treats the Russian language as if it belongs only to the government.
Who is a 'foreign agent'?
In 2012, Russia made the foreign agent law. It first applied to groups that got 20% or more of their money from other countries and took part in some form of political work.
The law did not clearly explain what political work meant. This let the government use the law to control people who spoke against them. One of the first foreign agents was a group protecting Siberian Cranes in the country.
Other rules for foreign agents
Over time, Russia made more rules for foreign agents. They could not get money from the government, which made it hard for NGOs to survive.
Later, the law started to also be applied to people. These people were forced to say that they were foreign agents, even on social media. They also could not run for any kind of election, whether national, regional, or local.
After the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, foreign agents were not allowed to teach or give lectures in government schools.
How does this affect Russians?
Many people think this law will hurt journalists. Almost half of the journalists called foreign agents still live in Russia.
It’s becoming hard for people with this label to find jobs. Even if they ask the court to remove the label, they usually lose the case.
For Russians living in other countries, breaking this law means they cannot get permanent residence abroad or renew their visas. The new rules also make it harder for Russian journalists and teachers in other countries to make money online.
