May 28, 2015

Russia's undesirables: Putin signs Anti-NGO-law

located:	Russia
editor:	Nurcan Özdemir

Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a controversial law allowing authorities to shut down foreign and international organizations if they are deemed „undesirable“ without court proceedings.

Under the wide-ranging law, non-governmental organizations posing „a threat“ to Russia's constitutional order, its defenses or its security, can be blacklisted without warning. Employees as well as people being involved in listed NGO´s risk high financial penalties, restrictions on movement or imprisonment of up to six years.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have condemned the measure as part of an "ongoing draconian crackdown which is squeezing the life out of civil society."

Sergej Nikitin, Amnesty Russia, and Tatjana Lokschina, Human Rights Watch, confirmed to carry on with their work regardless the law.

The law is being harshly criticized by the US also, declared as an attempt to further isolate and discredit members of civil society who are critical of the government. In a statement, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the United States is "deeply troubled" by the new law, calling it "a further example of the Russian government's growing crackdown on independent voices and intentional steps to isolate the Russian people from the world."

Russian non-governmental organizations have already been pressured or shut down by laws being passed in recent years, especially those which receive foreign funding. A 2012 law branded groups receiving foreign financing to be registered as “foreign agents.” About 60 organizations have been officially listed in that category.