Under the bill, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office has the right to close a foreign media office in Moscow if the Western country is unfriendly to Russian media. The move comes after several Russian state news agencies were shut down in the West.
The bill passed by the Duma (Russian House of Representatives) also prohibits media offices from closing down to broadcast articles or other documents. Journalists of a media organization considered a violator of the bill will have their licenses revoked by the Russian Foreign Ministry, meaning they cannot work in Russia.
In the current geopolitical situation, mass media has become a tool to influence the information situation of society, Russian lawmakers explained the bill, according to Reuters.
Under the bill, a foreign journalist or reporter can have his/her work permit revoked if he/she commits unfriendly acts, by imposing restrictions on the dissemination of information by Russian mass media abroad, the lawmakers said.
The bill will need to be considered by the Russian Senate before being signed into law by President Vladimir Putin.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has repeatedly criticized the West for blocking the operations of Russian state media such as Sputnik and RT by revoking their broadcasting licenses and punishing them. Mr. Lavrov considered these steps to show disregard for media freedom.
In March, Mr. Putin signed a law that would impose a prison sentence of up to 15 years for deliberately spreading fake news about the Russian military, forcing some Western media outlets to withdraw their journalists from Russia.
