The Russian Ministry of Justice began to train experts in political science research of information materials. This is what the department calls those who will look for “foreign agents.” For training, a specially developed program of additional vocational education is used. This was announced by Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Center for Forensic Expertise (RFCSE) under the Ministry of Justice Georgy Omelyanuk, Interfax reports.
According to Omelyanyuk, three experts are currently undergoing training, two of whom the doctors sciences and one is a candidate. They will conduct a political scientific examination when recognizing organizations or citizens of Russia (*aggressor country) as “foreign agents”, work with cases of the dissemination of extremist materials, calls for mass riots and election violations.
Experts will have to establish the “fact of political activity,” which will include political speeches, statements, appeals, statutory documents and programs of political organizations, as well as comments on the Internet.
“Propaganda materials: slogans, gestures, political symbols, posters, caricatures, publications, correspondence, photographs, audio and video materials that are posted on radio and television, as well as on the Internet, on external media, and all these objects record the political activity. Also, the objects of political science expertise include comments left on the Internet,” Omelyanyuk listed.
Legislation on “foreign agents” has been in force in Russia (*aggressor country) since 2012. At first it applied only to the activities of non-profit organizations if they receive funding from abroad and are engaged in political activities, then it was introduced to individuals.
In 2022, a new law on “foreign agents” came into force, which allows individuals who do not have foreign funding to be recognized as “foreign agents”.
According to this document, any Russian or foreign organizations or individuals can be recognized as “foreign agents” if they receive foreign support or are under foreign influence, and also conduct political activities or collect information about the military-technical activities of Russia (*aggressor country), which “can be used against security of the country.” This document also introduces a register of those who are “affiliated” with “foreign agents.”
Currently, there are 697 positions in the register of “foreign agents” – these are organizations, media and individuals.