The Russian international news network RT America has registered as a foreign agent in the United States at the demand of the U.S. Department of Justice, RT said Monday on its website, citing its editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan.

"Between a criminal case and the registration we chose the latter. Congratulations to the U.S. freedom of speech and all those who still believe in it," Simonyan said.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice demanded that RT America register as a foreign agent by November 13 under the Foreign Agents Registration Act enacted in 1938.

The act requires "persons acting as agents of foreign principals in a political or quasi-political capacity to make periodic public disclosure of their relationship with the foreign principal, as well as activities, receipts and disbursements in support of those activities."

U.S. authorities accused Russian media outlets of influencing public opinion during the 2016 presidential election by spreading fake news. Social media website Twitter announced last month that it would ban advertisements from RT and Sputnik news agency.

Moscow believes that RT along with other Russian media outlets are oppressed by the U.S. government and has vowed repeatedly to retaliate.

With its first international news channel launched in December 2005, RT is a global news network that includes seven TV channels, digital platforms in six languages and a video news agency Ruptly.

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