▁many ▁restrict ive ▁laws , ▁started ▁ins pe ctions ▁of ▁n ong overn ment al ▁organizations , ▁har ass ed , ▁int im id ated , ▁and ▁imprison ed ▁political ▁activ ists , ▁and ▁started ▁to ▁restrict ▁critics . ▁The ▁new ▁laws ▁include ▁the ▁" fore ign ▁agents " ▁law , ▁which ▁is ▁widely ▁regarded ▁as ▁over - bro ad ▁by ▁including ▁Russian ▁human ▁rights ▁organizations ▁which ▁receive ▁some ▁international ▁grant ▁fund ing , ▁the ▁tre ason ▁law , ▁and ▁the ▁assembly ▁law ▁which ▁pen al izes ▁many ▁expressions ▁of ▁diss ent . ▁Human ▁rights ▁activ ists ▁have ▁critic ized ▁Russia ▁for ▁c ensor ing ▁speech ▁of ▁L GB T ▁activ ists ▁due ▁to ▁" the ▁gay ▁propag anda ▁law " ▁and ▁increasing ▁violence ▁against ▁L GB T + ▁people ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁law . ▁Put in ▁has ▁rejected ▁accus ations ▁of ▁human ▁rights ▁ab uses . ▁ ▁The ▁media ▁▁ ▁Scott ▁Ge hl bach , ▁an ▁American ▁Professor ▁of ▁Political ▁Science ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Wisconsin – Mad ison , ▁has ▁claimed ▁that ▁since ▁ 1 9 9 9 , ▁Put in ▁has ▁reported ly ▁pun ished ▁journal ists ▁who ▁challenge ▁his ▁official ▁point ▁of ▁view . ▁Maria ▁Lip man , ▁an ▁American ▁writing ▁in ▁Foreign ▁Affairs ▁( the ▁journal ▁of ▁the ▁Council ▁on ▁Foreign ▁Rel ations ), ▁claims , ▁" The ▁crack down ▁that ▁followed ▁Put in ' s ▁return ▁to ▁the ▁Kre ml in ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 2 ▁extended ▁to ▁the ▁liberal ▁media , ▁which ▁had ▁until ▁then