Russian political satirist and Kremlin critic, Viktor Shenderovich mentioned on Tuesday that he had left Russia fearing {that a} legal case for slander could be opened towards him after government designated him as a “overseas agent”.
The 63-year outdated didn’t say the place he had long past and was once no longer right away reachable. A slew of Russians have fled prior to now 12 months, together with supporters of jailed opposition flesh presser Alexei Navalny and several other reporters.
“(My) departure is strictly what the Kremlin has been hinting I do during the last two decades of never-ending and demonstrative illegal activity directed at me,” Shenderovich wrote on Fb.
The Kremlin mentioned it seemed as although Shenderovich was once looking to disguise from his fighters after making feedback that have been being challenged in courtroom. It mentioned his departure had not anything to do with him being labelled a “overseas agent”.
Shenderovich had the tag imposed on him via the Justice Ministry final month in a mounting crackdown on opposition figures.
The label has damaging Soviet-era connotations and its bearers have to put it prominently on all content material that they submit. Additionally they face laborious monetary and bureaucratic necessities.
Government say the designation, and some other for “unwanted organisations”, are had to protect the rustic from malign overseas affect.
Shenderovich, sometimes called a journalist, has been at odds with the government for years.
His outdated “Puppets” satirical display on nationwide tv lampooned politicians together with President Vladimir Putin who had simply come to energy on the flip of the century. The display was once taken off air in 2002.
Shenderovich’s biting complaint of the state of Russian politics was once sooner or later simplest heard on a handful of shops like Moscow’s liberal radio station Ekho Moskvy or at the TV Rain on-line information channel.
Pronouncing his departure, he mentioned he had confronted surveillance, slander, invasions of his privateness or even loss of life threats over time.
He was once sued final 12 months via Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman accused via the US of election meddling and of spreading malign affect all over the world, one thing he denies. Shenderovich was once ordered to pay out 100,000 roubles ($1,330) for feedback he made on Ekho Moskvy.
On Dec. 30, Prigozhin’s corporate Konkord mentioned it was once pursuing legal motion and that Shenderovich may resist 5 years in prison.