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Russia’s upper house may pass doc on Dec 15 to cut access for foreign agent media

The Justice Ministry will have taken a decision on which foreign media should get registrations as foreign agents

MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/. Russia’s Federation Council upper house of parliament May endorse a resolution on December 15 whereby it will limit access to the building for the reporters working for a number of U.S. media, and in the first place for the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Current Time television, a senior senator told TASS.

"I think the Federation Council will have a procedure of the same kind as the State Duma," Dr. Alexei Pushkov, the chairman of the house’s information policies commission told TASS on Monday.

"In all probability, the Justice Ministry will have taken a decision on which foreign media should get registrations as foreign agents," he said.

Dr. Pushkov recalled the Justice Ministry was expected to decide on which foreign media would be told get registrations as foreign agents. "As soon as this happens, resolutions of the State Duma [lower house of parliament] and the Federation Council will take effect.

As the most immediate candidates for falling under the ban, Dr. Pushkov named the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Current Time television.

"These media outlets have already received warning from the Justice Ministry they could be registered as foreign agents," Dr. Pushkov said. "A total of nine foreign media outlets received the Justice Ministry’s warnings they could be registered as foreign agents and the Voice of America, RFE/RL and Current Time TV were the most immediate candidates on the list.

He said along with it he did not know if any other media might be included in the blacklist at this stage, too.

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