On Tuesday, Russia’s Ministry of Justice designated the German media outlet Deutsche Welle as an “undesirable” organization, marking its latest move in a campaign to suppress press freedom by blacklisting foreign news agencies.
This designation prohibits Deutsche Welle from operating within Russia. According to Russian law, those affiliated with “undesirable” entities could face sentences of up to four years in prison, while leaders of such organizations could be imprisoned for as long as six years.
The Justice Ministry did not release an official statement regarding DW’s designation; however, Vasily Piskaryov, a lawmaker in the State Duma and head of the Commission of Foreign Interference, accused the German broadcaster over the weekend of disseminating “anti-Russian propaganda” and training “disinformation specialists.”
With indications that authorities in Moscow were preparing to impose this ban, DW’s Director General Barbara Massing asserted on Sunday that she and her team would not be intimidated.
“Despite the censorship and the Russian government’s blocking of our services, DW’s Russian-language service is reaching more audiences than ever before,” Massing stated.
Just weeks prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin shut down the German broadcaster’s Moscow office following Berlin’s prohibition of RT’s German-language broadcasts, which are funded by the Russian government.
In March 2022, the Justice Ministry classified DW as a “foreign agent,” leading to the subsequent blockage of its website within Russia.
The “undesirable” law was enacted in Russia in 2015, targeting independent media, opposition movements, and organizations receiving foreign funding. Currently, hundreds of entities are on the blacklist, including The Moscow Times.
The German government condemned the ban on DW, accusing the Kremlin of fearing independent media, particularly in light of the ongoing war against Ukraine.
