Singer Zemfira* has filed a lawsuit against Russia’s Justice Ministry demanding that it be illegal to put her on the register of foreign agents. The request was received by the Zamoskvoretsky court in Moscow on May 10 should of the capital’s court case file.
For the moment, the judge has not accepted the request for prosecution, the date of the meeting has not yet been set.
Zemfira* was recognized as a foreign agent in February 2023. The Ministry of Justice explained its decision by the fact that the artist “openly spoke in favor of Ukraine, gave concerts in hostile countries with appeals against the ‘military operation and received support from foreign sources’.
Four days later, the singer commented on her new status. “Thank you for the support. I am well and wish you the same. And the world of course,” she wrote, accompanying the entry with a foreign agent plaque.
One month after entering the register of Zemfira* released a song called “PODNHA”, in which the singer criticizes the Russian authorities. After that, the SHOT telegram channel informed that the deputies of the State Duma appealed to the Prosecutor General’s Office with a request to deprive the artist of Russian property.
According to SHOT, Zemfira * still owns a two-room apartment on the Frunzenskaya Embankment overlooking the Moscow River and non-residential premises with an area of 134 square meters in the Khoroshevsky district of the capital, as well as a small land plot in Bashkiria – eight acres and two cars – BMW 325i and Mercedes-Benz C 200 4MATIC.
In mid-March, a member of the State Duma Committee on Culture Sergei Solovyov in an interview with the radio station “Moscow Speaks” admitted attribution of extremist status to Zemfira*. Moreover, the parliamentarian did not exclude that a criminal case could be brought against the artist.
“Singer Zemfira* has the status of a foreign agent, this determines her legal status. However, this negative and shameful status is not enough for her. It seems that with her provocative activities she claims to be criminally responsible and to receive the status of ‘extremist,’ he said.
Solovyov added that in his opinion, the proposal to deprive Zemfira * of real estate in Russia “and traitors like her” deserves a public debate “for the adoption of legislative and regulatory decisions”.
*recognized as a foreign agent in Russia
Read the Latest Ukraine War News on The Eastern Herald.
