Putin strengthens crackdown on dissent with new laws

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a slew of laws further strengthening a crackdown on dissent as Moscow's offensive in Ukraine grinds through its fourth year.

The new legislation makes it a criminal offence to "discredit" the army or call for sanctions against Russia.

It also outlaws "helping implement decisions" by international organizations that Moscow is not part of.

This could, for example, apply to the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin in April 2023.

The legislation says it can be used against those acting "for hire" or for profit.

This comes as part of Moscow's increasing onslaught on opposition and free speech since launching its offensive in Ukraine, sparking numerous economic sanctions and political isolation from the West.

Another new law prohibits "foreign agents" -- a label used to target critics of the regime and the Ukraine offensive -- from carrying out any educational activities or being on state corporations' boards.

Those who help international organizations that exclude Russia or call for sanctions against it can now be treated as foreign agents, too, one of Putin's decrees signed into law said.

Russia passed its foreign agent law in 2012 and forces people slapped with this label to put a disclaimer on any public statements they make, in a bid to undermine their legitimacy.

But Moscow has lately beefed up the rules, outlawing advertising on media owned by "foreign agents" and targeting their royalties from creative works.

The foreign agents' list now consists of about one thousand people and organizations, including well-known musicians, writers and journalists.

This has forced many of them into exile, sometimes while retaining property in Russia, as they had to flee abruptly.

The laws signed by Putin on Monday also provide for the seizure of property from those convicted of the charges.