Simonyan Stays Out Of US To Avoid Legal Action Over Foreign Agents Law

SOCHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st October, 2021) Sputnik and RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan said on Thursday that she does not fly to the United States to avoid possible imprisonment over the US law on foreign agents.

"We have been foreign agents for many years; moreover, I received a notice of examination in the United States several years ago, as we had not registered as a foreign agent earlier... Despite the fact that all our lawyers were convincing us (and we have all legal reports) that this law is not applicable to us, as it was written in English: except media," Simonyan said at the Valdai Discussion Club.

Simonyan added that the punishment in the US for not registering as a foreign agent is a five-year sentence.

"So, I do not fly there anymore to be on the safe side, as I might be jailed there," the journalist added.

RT America has been on the American list of foreign agents since 2017. However, other foreign national media including the BBC, CCTV, France 24 and Deutsche Welle radio station are not labeled foreign agents there.

In response to this move by Washington, in 2017 the Russian Ministry of Justice included a number of projects of Radio Liberty on the Russian list of foreign agents. These media are incorporated into the Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty media group, which is funded by the US Congress.