MOSCOW. Oct 1 (Interfax) - The Moscow City Court has upheld a court ruling which dismissed a motion of journalist, Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov (designated as a foreign agent in Russia) for declaring the Russian Justice Ministry's decision to list him as a foreign agent illegal, the court told Interfax on Tuesday.
"Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky District Court ruling of November 21, 2024, is upheld, and the plaintiff's appeal is dismissed," the court said.
Muratov asked the court to declare the Justice Ministry's decision illegal and to exclude him from the foreign agent register.
According to the Justice Ministry's statement read out at the lower-tier court, Muratov was listed as a foreign agent for disseminating reports and materials by foreign agents, participating in the creation of their materials, conducting what the ministry described as political activity "by disseminating opinions" on the decisions of the authorities, and "forming sociopolitical views."
A Justice Ministry representative told the court that Muratov gave interviews to "foreign news outlets" from unfriendly states, including Ukraine, the UK and Latvia, with knowingly negative sentiment towards Russia.
In turn, Muratov's representatives told the court that his inclusion in the foreign agent register was illegal and unfounded and limited his constitutional rights.
Muratov told the court that he was not under foreign influence and described himself as a patriot of Russia.
Muratov was placed on the foreign agent register on September 1, 2023.
He disagreed with the decision of the Justice Ministry, which was also condemned by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
Novaya Gazeta said following the Justice Ministry's decision that Muratov would suspend his activity as the newspaper's editor-in-chief for the period of legal action challenging his foreign agent status.
Novaya Gazeta was founded in 1993. A court invalidated the registration of its printed version as a mass media outlet in 2022. The newspaper's staff continues to work.
Muratov won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for his "efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace."