Russia: Justice Ministry Labels Anna Narinskaya a Foreign Agent

Exiled journalist and several others targeted for opposing the war and sharing “LGBT propaganda”

Location: Russia
Date: February 16, 2024

Women Press Freedom strongly condemns the Kremlin’s persistent efforts to target and harass journalists and activists in exile. The latest incident of transnational repression executed by Russia is the labeling of literary critic and Tagesspiegel journalist Anna Narinskaya as a “foreign agent.” Her inclusion in the foreign agent register is yet another example of the Russian government's malicious campaign to crack down on independent voices and dissenting opinions. 

On February 16, 2024, the Russian Justice Ministry added several people, including journalist Anna Narinskaya, to its foreign agents list. Joining Narinskaya on the foreign agent register are banker Oleg Tinkov, actor Nikita Kukushkin, blogger Aslan Artsuyev, and philosopher Yulia Sineokaya, all of whom currently live outside of Russia.

Anna Narinskaya is an author, curator, documentarian, and activist. As a journalist, she worked for Kommersant and Novaya Gazeta. Until recently, Narinskaya was the curator of the Joseph Brodsky Museum in St. Petersburg. In 2018, she played a pivotal role in organizing the March of Mothers, advocating for the rights of teenagers persecuted for their beliefs in Russia. After Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, she left the country and now lives in Berlin, where she writes for the Tagesspiegel newspaper.

Among the reasons for her inclusion in the register, the department named an anti-war position, the sharing of materials from other “foreign agents,” as well the dissemination of “propaganda for LGBT relationships.”  

Russia's foreign agents law is wielded as a tool to harass people and organizations domestically and worldwide, irrespective of their nationality or whereabouts, merely for engaging in civic activism or voicing opinions on Russian affairs. Under this law, authorities can label anyone as a foreign agent if they allege they are influenced by foreign interests. Those designated as "foreign agents" face exclusion from key aspects of civic life, including participation in the civil service, electoral commissions, educational activities, and public assemblies. In September 2023, prominent figures such as exiled journalist Kseniya Larina and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov were added to the list.

The targeting of Narinskaya is part of a broader pattern of transnational repression by the Kremlin, aimed at silencing dissent and intimidating exiled critics, particularly those opposed to Russia's war in Ukraine. Beyond the foreign agents list, Moscow employs tactics such as issuing arrest warrants for journalists and activists, adding their names to terrorist lists, and even resorting to assassination attempts, as evidenced by the poisoning of Russian journalists in exile in Europe.

Women Press Freedom denounces the designation of Anna Narinskaya as a “foreign agent” and demands an immediate end to the Kremlin’s attacks against critical voices at home and abroad. The international community must stand united in condemning Russia's crackdown on dissent and hold the Kremlin accountable for its egregious violations of fundamental freedoms.

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