Russia's 'Foreign Agent' Law Targets Journalists, Activists, Even Ordinary Citizens

https://www.npr.org/2021/07/31/ [login to see] /russias-foreign-agent-law-targets-journalists-activists-even-ordinary-citizens
Darya Apakhonchich never considered herself a foreign agent.

She taught Russian to refugees in her hometown, St. Petersburg, and took part in street performances against militarism and violence against women. The activism of Apakhonchich's art group was quirky and local, and their performances typically got a couple of hundred views on YouTube.

"It's not a crime to teach Russian as a foreign language and get paid for it," Apakhonchich says. "And it's not a crime to be engaged in activism and go to demonstrations, especially in view of the Russian constitution."

But the Russian authorities have treated her as if she were a criminal.

In December, the 36-year-old mother of two discovered that the Justice Ministry had included her in a list of "foreign media agents," alongside media outlets including U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Apakhonchich's offenses were getting paid by organizations such as the French College at St. Petersburg State University and posting her political views on social media.

A month after finding herself on the list, Apakhonchich says, police sawed open her front door early one Sunday morning, confiscated her family's electronic devices and spent seven hours searching their apartment for "extremist" material.