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Moscow names Doctors’ Alliance medical list of “foreign agents”

The Russian Ministry of Justice included the “Doctors’ Alliance” is related to opposition politician Alexei Navalny in the register of “foreign agents”, broadcast the Russian news agencies.

The press release of the Ministry of Justice states that during the audits “concerning the said organization, proved to be repeatedly funded from abroad and engaged in political activity».

Alexandra Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Doctors’ Alliance, told Novaya Gazeta that “we did not receive funding from abroad, and we did not see official evidence from the Ministry of Justice».

The move against the “Doctors’ Alliance”, which distributes personal protective equipment to medical staff and supports doctors in defending their labor rights, has angered Navalny supporters.

The label “foreign agent”, which refers to the Soviet era, implies that non-governmental organizations that are considered to be funded from abroad to carry out political activity are subject to increased bureaucratic and on-the-spot checks.

They are also required to report regularly on their funding and expenditure and to attach the “foreign agent” label to their publications.

A spokeswoman for the Doctors’ Alliance wrote in a Twitter post that the ministry had not notified them that it had included them in the register of “foreign agents”.

The union’s president, Anastasia Vassilieva, is an ally of Navalny. She had offered him her services as a doctor in 2017 when she suffered a chemical burn on his right eye after being attacked by Kremlin activists.

Police arrested Vasilieva in January on charges of violating the pandemic’s anti-pandemic measures and participating in an opposition rally that had not been approved by authorities. He was then placed under house arrest.

«Does this mean that “foreign agents” help our doctors while the authorities steal money?“Navalny’s team wrote on Twitter, adding that” this shameful government has gone completely crazy. “

The law on “foreign agents” from 2019 does not apply only to non-governmental organizations but extends to individuals and bloggers, seeking, as human rights organizations say, to stifle any dissent.

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