The Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case for repeated violation of the «foreign agent» activity order against the journalist of the «Dozhd» channel, Yulia Taratuta, the press service of the department reported. The investigation plans to declare the journalist wanted.
According to the investigation, Taratuta did not provide the mandatory information to the authorized body no later than January 15.
The Ministry of Justice included Taratuta in the «foreign agents» registry in December 2022. In August 2023, she was fined 30 thousand rubles for the late submission of a report on the «foreign agent» activity. Then she was fined again under a similar protocol.
At the end of January, the prosecutor's office already reported that it had sent documents to the Investigative Committee to initiate a criminal case against the journalist.
In the «OVD-Info»** database at the end of last year, there were 34 criminal cases under the «foreign agent» article. Meanwhile, by the end of 2024, 170 people received two fines under the administrative article on violation of the «foreign agent» activity order, calculated «Mediazona»**. A criminal case for evading the duties of a «foreign agent» can be initiated if a person has two enforced administrative fines under the article on non-fulfillment of «foreign agent» duties within a year. Such protocols are drawn up, for example, for refusing to label posts with a notice of their status or for failing to submit a «foreign agent» report to the Ministry of Justice.
* Recognized in Russia as a «foreign agent» and «undesirable» organization.
** Recognized in Russia as a «foreign agent».