Russia’s parliament has passed a law banning “undesirable” international organizations, raising fears of a further crackdown on voices critical of the Kremlin.
According to the legislation, the prosecutor-general and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs can register as undesirable any noncommercial “foreign or international organization that presents a threat to the defensive capabilities or security of the state, to the public order, or to the health of the population.”
Blacklisted groups would be forbidden from operating branches or distributing information in Russia, and banks would have to notify the prosecutor-general and the Russian Ministry of Justice of any financial transfers involving them.
VAGUE THREAT
Although the language of the threat posed was vague, the bill’s authors suggested that international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) often work in the interests of foreign intelligence agencies.
The legislation was passed in its third and final reading on Tuesday by a vote of 440 to three, with one deputy abstaining. Before it becomes law, it must be rubber-stamped by the upper house of parliament and signed by the president, steps that are all but guaranteed. Russian President Vladimir Putin has frequently named NGOs as a threat to national security.
‘UNFRIENDLY’ GROUPS
The goal of the legislation, according to cosponsor Alexander Tarnavsky, is to “denote that there are foreign organizations that are unfriendly to Russia,” state news agency Tass reported.
“Today is such a time when it is impossible not to notice that some foreign organizations do not conduct themselves in the best manner,” Tarnavsky said. “They do this for different reasons, some at the request of intelligence services, some on the basis of other considerations.”
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have condemned the legislation as a “draconian attack on civil society,” and the presidential human rights council said it was unconstitutional.
The terms in the legislation are ambiguous enough that it could also be applied to commercial organizations such as businesses, according to an analysis by the Meduza news outlet.
Although groups like Human Rights Watch could be declared “undesirable” under the legislation, the bill’s “real target” is not foreign businesses or even international NGOs, but rather the Russian groups and activists that work with them, Human Rights Watch Russia director Tanya Lokshina said.
She said it was likely being adopted ahead of time to stem any dissent that could arise around next year’s parliamentary elections.
RUSSIAN CIVIL SOCIETY
“The law appears to be designed for select application; it is likely it will be implemented against organizations that are critical of the government, and then their Russian friends and partners,” Lokshina told reporters. “I think the law is aimed at suffocating Russian civil society, cutting them off from their international partners, leaving them in limbo.”
The “undesirable” organization legislation is the latest in a string of measures cracking down on domestic civil society that followed widespread opposition protests about Putin’s return to the presidency in 2012. That year, he signed a law requiring “political” organizations that received funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents.”
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