The Prosecutor General's Office of Russia has recognized the publisher of the Norwegian online newspaper Barents Observer as an 'undesirable' organization — the non-profit company Independent Barents Observer AS. The agency claims that the publication releases materials with a 'distinctly anti-Russian orientation', and many authors are 'little-known in the professional community' 'foreign agents' and people included in the list of 'terrorists and extremists', and their activities are financed by foreign non-governmental organizations that are already included in the list of 'undesirable' organizations.
'The articles are aimed at stimulating protest sentiments among the population of the northern regions of Russia, tightening anti-Russian sanctions, and the necessity of increasing NATO's military presence at our borders. A significant amount of information disseminated by the organization is devoted to discrediting the activities of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The authors do not neglect the promotion of non-traditional values', notes the supervisory agency's statement.
Barents Observer has existed since 2002 and is published in Norwegian and Russian. The publication's website states that the founder is the editorial board, and the work is funded by private donations.
In 2019, Roskomnadzor blocked the Barents Observer website due to the refusal to remove information about the suicide attempts of a Sami gay man. The publication won a case in the European Court of Human Rights, where it was considered that Russia violated international rules by blocking the site.
Since 2015, foreign or international organizations can be recognized as 'undesirable' if, according to the authorities, they pose a 'threat to the foundations of the constitutional order of the Russian Federation, the country's defense capability, or state security'. Such organizations are prohibited from operating in the country. Currently, there are more than 200 entries in the registry.
Participation in the activities of an 'undesirable organization' is punishable by administrative liability in the form of a fine from 5,000 to 15,000 rubles. In the case of a repeated violation within a year after the first fine for participating in the activities of an 'undesirable' organization, criminal liability ensues, starting with fines from 300,000 to 500,000 rubles up to imprisonment from one to four years. Moreover, this also applies to participation in activities outside of Russia.