Lawmakers in Moscow approved the first stage of a bill on Tuesday allowing authorities to provide a “prompt symmetrical response” to countries that restrict the activities of Russian media.
The State Duma, the lower house of the country’s parliament, said in a statement that the legislation would give the prosecutor general the right to restrict or prohibit a foreign state’s media outlets in Russia.
This power could be invoked in response to “a foreign state’s unfriendly actions against Russian media abroad,” according to the statement. Foreign media correspondents could lose their accreditation as part of the measures.
“Thus the goal of providing a prompt symmetrical response to unfriendly actions against the Russian media would be achieved,” the authors of the legislation said.
The bill also amends existing law by providing the prosecutor general’s office with the power to withdraw registration or to terminate a broadcasting license of any media in certain circumstances.