Continuing the crackdown on critical voices, Russia added, Thursday, December 30, to its list of "foreign agents" two members of the protest group Pussy Riot and a leading satirical author.

Nadejda Tolokonnikova, one of the leading figures of Pussy Riot, and Veronika Nikoulchina, another member, have been included in this list which now has 111 names, announced the Ministry of Justice.

The writer Viktor Shenderovich, known for his vitriolic critiques of power, has also received this designation which obliges the individuals and organizations concerned to display this status in each of their publications.

>> To read: Russia: the Supreme Court dissolves the Memorial NGO, pillar of the defense of freedoms

"These individuals have systematically provided documents to an unknown circle of people, while receiving funding from abroad," said the Ministry of Justice.

Five other people were added to the list of "foreign agents" on Thursday, including journalist Taisiya Bekboulatova and art collector Marat Gelman.

Nadejda Tolokonnikova was among three members of Pussy Riot sentenced to prison in 2012 after performing a "punk prayer" against President Vladimir Putin in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, a scene which made the group world famous.

A reminder of the "enemy of the people" in Soviet times

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova reacted to her designation as "foreign agent" by posting on social media a photo of her doing a middle finger, with a statement in which she said she would not submit to the legal obligation to indicate this status in its publications.

“Russia will be free!” She said.

Introduced in 2012, the law on "foreign agents", a qualifier reminiscent of "enemy of the people" in Soviet times, was first applied to NGOs, before being extended to media and individuals.

Freedom of expression organizations accuse the Russian government of using this instrument to silence critical voices.

The year 2021 was marked by an all-out repression in Russia, with in particular the incarceration of the opponent Alexeï Navalny and the ban on his movement, but also the dissolution of the emblematic NGO Memorial this week.

With AFP 

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