Russia acts to restrict rights groups

Russia’s lower house of parliament today took the first step toward approval of a bill that would prevent foreign-funded rights groups from operating in the country – a move sure to heighten criticism of President Vladimir Putin’s commitment to democracy.

“The express purpose of this law is to emasculate the NGO community,” said Holly Cartner, regional director of the US-based Human Rights Watch. It would “eviscerate” civil society in Russia.

The measure, which received 370-18 approval in the 450-seat State Duma on its first reading, has been widely criticised by non-governmental organisations.

The Kremlin has shown increasing signs of displeasure with organisations that criticise the government and promote expansion of democracy.

This summer, Putin told human rights experts at a Kremlin meeting that Russia would not allow foreign organisations to finance political activities. Non-governmental groups played a role in the mass demonstrations that brought opposition leaders to power in ex-Soviet republics Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.

In the debate in the Duma, one of the authors of the bill, Alexei Ostrovsky, expressed clear hostility to the work of Western-oriented groups, alluding to the government changes in Eastern Europe and blaming the US Central Intelligence Agency.

“We remember how those human-rights organisations defended human rights in Yugoslavia, Ukraine and Georgia under the cover of the CIA and we know how it ended,” said Ostrovsky, a member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party.

The bill, which has to go through two more readings, requires the branches of foreign-based NGOs to register with Justice Ministry authorities, thereby subjecting them to financial control. Registration officials would oversee the groups’ financial flow and taxes and decide whether their activities were lawful and in line with the groups’ stated aims.

The bill gives Russian authorities the right to conduct yearly checks at NGOs’ offices to find out whether the groups violate any laws and issue warnings if they do. The warnings can be contested in courts.

The authorities which are allowed to monitor NGOs’ activity include fire brigades, ecological, epidemiological and other officials.

A court may rule to close down a non-profit group if its activity contradicts the Russian constitution, if it is connected with extremist activity or money laundering.

Alexander Petrov of Human Rights Watch said the law may effectively terminate the group’s operation in Russia, since the Russian office of the group would no longer be treated as a branch of an international NGO, but as a Russian non-profit organisation, which faces severe limitations.

The restrictions include paying taxes on contributions from donors which are not on a government list of tax-exempt sponsors and well as having Russian citizens or foreigners permanently living Russia act as founders and managers.

Petrov said under such rules, the Western leadership of the group would no longer be able to set its policy and agenda in Russia, which will likely lead to its closure.

Vladimir Ryzhkov, a liberal politician in the Duma assailed the bill. “The law violates the interests of civil society, goes against the Russian constitution and the human rights charter.”

Viktor Ilyukhin, a Communist, said the law was too broad and could target organisations which benefit Russia.

“Many foreign organisations are involved in noble activities – they help orphaned children, the ill and so on and … making all (groups) subject to equally strict control is wrong.”

“The law is so imprecise that it would allow the closure of any organisation that in one way or another is unpleasant to the authorities,” analyst Yevgeny Yasin of Moscow’s Higher School of Economics said on the Ekho Moskvy radio station.

About eight environmental protesters, objecting to the legislation, tried to unfurl flags and placards outside the State Duma building but were arrested for staging an unsanctioned demonstration.