By stigmatizing independent civilian society, media and another dissenting voices as “trojan horses”, “foreign agent” laws have offered a convenient framing to delegitimize and isolate them. In addition, they have besides helped to impose harsh monitoring and reporting requirements and shut critics out of public life. As the promotion of democratic practices and human rights threatens authoritarians’ grip on power, abroad agent laws offer a useful tool to discredit these activities by equating them with promoting the interests of a abroad power.
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