EU condemns Russia's decision to declare REL “undesirable organisation”

The European Union has condemned the Russian authorities' decision to issue Radio Free Europe “undesirable organisation”.

EU spokesman Peter Stano said this is a new attack on media freedom and Russian citizens' approach to pluralistic information.

European Union “Condemns Russia's decision to declare REL's unwanted organisation. This is a recent attack on the media on freedom, freedom of expression and the approach of citizens to pluralistic information. Russia must abolish legislation for unwanted organisations and foreign agencies that it uses to print and silence critical voices”, he wrote at X, formerly known as Twitter.

REL has entered the Russian Justice Ministry registry for “undesirable organisation”. The decision on this is made on February 2nd, but has been made public on February 20th.

Clearly, authorities have declared it REL <x0->agen foreign”

According to the Russian Justice Ministry registry, REL is the 142nd entity that is included in the “unwanted organisation” list.

Radio Free Europe President Stephen Capus, has stated that this decision represents the last example of how the Russian government views true reporting as a existential threat.

The law on “undesirable organisation” was adopted in 2015, and has been supported by the Kremlin, to regulate nongovernmental organisations that accept funds from abroad.

This law affects organisations whose activities, according to Russian authorities, pose a threat to the foundations of the constitutional structure of the state, for security and protection.

The inclusion on the list means that an organisation cannot operate in Russia, and the citizens of Russia are barred from co-operation with it because they are at risk of prosecution.

Free Europe Radio is an independent American corporation funded by the United States Agency for Global Media.

Radio Free Europe has a presence through 27 languages in 23 countries primarily for audiences where media freedom is limited.

The REL's pages and accounts on social networks, including the company's Russian Service pages, are blocked by Roskomnadzor, the federal agency monitoring Russian media in the spring of 2022, due to its refusal to remove information about Russia's launched war in Ukraine.

Despite the blockades, the audience's interest in information that REL and Time REL are offering television created by Radio Europe Free and Voice of America continues to be huge, as the company records millions of clicks on its websites and other platforms.