Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is now labeled an “undesirable organization” by Russian authorities, effectively banning the multilingual media outlet from Russia.
New blow for press freedom in Russia: Radio Liberty is the latest media to be banned from the country.
It was created by the United States at the start of the Cold War, with the aim of circumventing communist propaganda and spreading Western ideas in Eastern Bloc countries.
Radio Liberty now broadcasts in 22 countries, in around twenty languages.
More severe than the previous term “foreign agent”, “undesirable organization” makes Radio Liberty illegal throughout Russian territory. Simply sharing a URL link to an article or video from the media may be subject to prosecution.
The law allows Russian authorities to control what users view or share on the internet, without requiring their prior consent.
Freedom of the press restricted
Freedom of expression and journalists are regularly targeted in Russia, notably voices criticizing Ukraine’s aggression.
Alsu Kourmasheva, a journalist for the Czech branch of Radio Liberty, has been detained in Russia since June 2023.
Of Russian and American nationality, the journalist had her passports confiscated at the airport as she left Russia after a visit to her family.
The authorities accuse him of being an undercover foreign agent and of having spread false information about the Russian army.
Alsu Kourmasheva has indeed participated in publications highlighting testimonies against the war in Ukraine, which do not go in the direction of Russian official speech on this subject.