Putin outlaws NGOs
AFP PHOTO/ RIA-NOVOSTI/ALEXEI NIKOLSKY
Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has signed into law a controversial bill treating all foreign-funded non-governmental organisations involved in any way in political life of Russia to register as "foreign agents".
The Kremlin justified the law as a way of protecting Russia from external influence on internal politics, but the legislation has been widely regarded in the West as anti-democratic and a mean to fight dissent of the opposition.
For many NGOs and civil sector organisations, it is immensely difficult to run activities in Russia, even with the foreign financing, but without it, it would be nearly impossible.
Though the law does not prevent foreign funding of Russian NGOs and CSOs, the phrase "foreign agents" – with its negative Soviet-era connotation – which is to be included in all materials produced by all affected NGOs, would severely compromise credibility of such NGOs in the eyes of Russians.
Failure to comply with strict rules, also regarding financial reports and audit, will be punishable by high fines and even up to two years imprisonment.
Putin's governing United Russia party has claimed that foreign governments are using NGOs in the country as a cover to push their political agenda and change of regime.
The law will seriously compromise the work of independent election monitor Golos, human rights group Amnesty International and the anti-corruption organisation Transparency International.
The bill was heavily criticised in the West, but this did not prevent Putin from signing it into law.
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