2023-11-21 15:16:00
Photo: EPA/Vostock-photo
Moscow. November 21. INTERFAX.RU – The Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow rejected the claim of journalist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov (recognized as a foreign agent in Russia) to invalidate the decision of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation to include him in the register of foreign agents, an Interfax correspondent reported.
Such a decision was announced by judge Natalya Khairetdinova.
The journalist asked the court to declare the decision of the Ministry of Justice to include him in the register of foreign agents illegal and to exclude him from the register.
Muratov and his representatives said they would appeal the court’s decision.
According to the position of the Ministry of Justice voiced in court, Muratov was included in the register of foreign agents due to the dissemination of messages and materials of foreign agents, participation in the creation of their materials, as well as the implementation, in the opinion of the department, of political activity “in the form of disseminating opinions” regarding decisions taken by government authorities and “in the form of the formation of socio-political views.”
In addition, a representative of the Ministry of Justice explained in court, Muratov gave interviews to “foreign information structures” from unfriendly states, in particular Ukraine, Great Britain and Latvia, which have a deliberately negative position towards Russia.
“The totality of these circumstances confirms the legality and validity of the decision of the Ministry of Justice to include the plaintiff in the register of foreign agents,” said a representative of the Ministry of Justice.
Representatives of Muratov declared in court that the inclusion of the journalist in the register of foreign agents was illegal and unfounded, noting that it limits him in the exercise of his constitutional rights.
Muratov himself, speaking in court, emphasized that he was not under foreign influence and that he was a patriot of Russia.
“Every single one of my statements are constitutional. (…) I have the rights to my statements and my beliefs,” he said.
Muratov was added to the register of foreign agents on September 1, 2023.
The journalist expressed disagreement with the decision of the Ministry of Justice. The decision was condemned by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
After the decision of the Ministry of Justice, Novaya Gazeta reported that Muratov would leave the post of editor-in-chief of the publication during the trial to challenge the status of a foreign agent.
Novaya Gazeta was founded in 1993. In 2022, by a court decision, the registration of its printed version as a media outlet was declared invalid. The publication’s staff continues to work.
In 2021, Muratov won the Nobel Peace Prize “for his efforts to defend freedom of expression, which is a necessary condition for democracy and lasting peace.”
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