WUNRN
Russia - What Do These Increasing Government Restrictions Mean for
Women’s NGO’s in Russia?
RUSSIA
– BILL PRESENTED IN PARLIAMENT TO CRIMINALIZE COOPERATION WITH FOREIGN
ORGANIZATIONS – ADDITIONAL THREAT TO WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS WORK
Paris-Geneva, 19 January 2015 - The State Duma must drop the
Bill on “undesirable foreign organisations” that will be debated on January 20,
said the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders today. If
adopted, the law will complement an already very restrictive legislative
arsenal used to silence all forms of criticism against the regime in
contradiction with international human rights instruments ratified by Russia
and will allow authorities to ban legitimate human rights activities, though
they are protected under international law.
On January 14, the State Duma Committee on Constitutional
Legislation recommended that the lower house pass a bill to ban “undesirable
foreign organisations” in Russia and ban cooperation with them. The bill,
presented initially by two members of Parliament, would allow the Prosecutor
General’s Office, upon consultation with the Foreign Ministry and based on
information provided by the interior and security agencies, to ban foreign and
international organisations that “threaten the defence or security of the
State” or “public order and health”.
“ Countless human rights NGOs and defenders have been
criminalised by the authorities for allegedly threatening security or public
order. We fear that these vague terms will again be used to criminalise
legitimate human rights activities implemented by INGOs in Russia ”,
said Gerald Staberock, OMCT Secretary General. “ A law that
effectively criminalizes human contacts or institutional partnerships with
other human rights actors is indeed unprecedented ”.
Russian organisations have become over the last decades a vital
and proud part of a global movement participating in international meetings and
sharing their knowledge, experience and advice in global human rights networks
and federations. This law risks to isolate Russian activists and to break
international solidarity and support.
Under the bill, the designation of a foreign or international
organisation as undesirable would be followed by the closure of branch offices
in Russia. It would also ban the distribution of information, including online.
Furthermore, individuals involved in the operation of an
undesirable foreign or international organisation in Russia would be fined
between 10,000 and 100,000 Rubles (185 – 1,850 Euros). And the employees of an
undesirable organisation that continued to work in Russia could face criminal
charges and fines ranging between 300,000 and 500,000 Rubles (5,560 – 9,260
Euros) or up to eight years in prison. If adopted, this measure would
negatively impact the work of those who are members of international NGOs in
Russia and will make it impossible for human rights defenders based abroad,
should their organisation be registered as “unwanted”, to enter Russia.
The Observatory recalls that, if adopted, this bill would add to
an already very restrictive legislation for civil society organisations further
shrinking the space for freedom of association in the country. In 2012 the
State Duma adopted a law that required NGOs to register as “foreign agents”
if they engaged in “political activity” and receive foreign funding. Because
“foreign agent” can be interpreted only as “spy” or “traitor”, such label aims
at discrediting NGOs and obstructing their working environment.
“ Following the adoption of the NGO law in 2012 which
led to the registration of more than 30 prominent Russian NGOs as foreign
agents and the closing down of 4 others, including FIDH member organisation ADC
Memorial, it seems clear that this new bill will be used to ban the presence of
international human rights NGOs in Russia. Slowly but surely, Putin is getting
rid of all human rights organisations in the Russian Federation ”,
said Karim Lahidji, FIDH President.
The Observatory, a joint programme of the International
Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture
(OMCT), therefore opposes the possible adoption of this bill on the strongest
terms and calls for the State Duma to drop it.
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Full Article:
RUSSIA - WOMEN'S NGO'S FACE EVEN MORE RESTRICTIONS ON IMPORTANT FOREIGN FUNDING
- NGOs working in Russia are facing more repression in the form of even tighter legislation on foreign funding as part of what some rights activists say is a concerted campaign to “liquidate” civil society in the country.
Under legislation proposed earlier this month in the upper chamber of Russia’s parliament, NGOs receiving foreign funding could be registered as “foreign agent” without their consent.
The legislation would strengthen an existing law which forces such NGOs to register as “foreign agents” – a controversial term with cold war connotations which affected NGOs says makes it almost impossible for them to work with local partners or government bodies – or face stiff fines and possible jail sentences. The new proposals have met with stinging criticism from local rights activists who say they are part of a concerted plan by the Kremlin to stifle civil society.......
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Subject: Russia - Laws Restrict
NGO's, Foreign Funding - Impact on Women's NGO's?
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RUSSIA - LAWS RESTRICT NGO'S & PLACE LIMITS ON ASSOCIATION WITH FOREIGNERS AND FOREIGN FUNDING
Human Rights Watch:
http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/04/24/russia-worst-human-rights-climate-post-soviet-era - Website Link Includes Video.
Direct Link to Full 82-Page Report:
"Russian authorities have introduced a series of restrictive laws, begun a nationwide campaign of invasive inspections of nongovernmental organizations, harassed, intimidated, and in a number of cases imprisoned political activists, and sought to cast government critics as clandestine enemies."
"Two of the new laws - the "foreign agents" law and the "Dima Yakovlev law - clearly seek to limit, or even end, independent advocacy and other NGO work in Russia by placing new limits on association with foreigners and foreign funding..."
Moscow – The Russian government has unleashed a crackdown on civil society in the year since Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency that is unprecedented in the country’s post-Soviet history.
The 78-page report, “Laws of Attrition: Crackdown on Russia’s Civil Society after Putin’s Return to the Presidency,”describes some of the changes since Putin returned to the presidency in May 2012. The authorities have introduced a series of restrictive laws, begun a nationwide campaign of invasive inspections of nongovernmental organizations, harassed, intimidated, and in a number of cases imprisonedpolitical activists, and sought to cast government critics as clandestine enemies. The report analyzes the new laws, including the so-called “foreign agents” law, the treason law, and the assembly law, and documents how they have been used.
“The new laws and government harassment are pushing civil society activists to the margins of the law,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The government crackdown is hurting Russian society and harming Russia’s international standing.”
Many of the new laws and the treatment of civil society violate Russia’s international human rights commitments, Human Rights Watch said.
Several of the new laws seek to limit, or even end, independent advocacy by placing new, draconian limits on association with foreigners and foreign funding. The “foreign agents” law requires organizations that receive foreign funding and supposedly engage in “political activities” to register as “foreign agents.”Another law, adopted in December, essentially bans funding emanating from the United States for “political” activity by nongovernmental organizations, and bans groups whose work is “directed against Russia’s interests.” A third law, the treason law, expands the legal definition of treason in ways that could criminalize involvement in international human rights advocacy.
The report documents the nationwide campaign of intrusive government inspections of the offices of hundreds of organizations, involving officials from the prosecutor’s office, the Justice Ministry, the tax inspectorate, and in some cases the anti-extremism police, health inspectorate, and the fire inspectorate. The inspection campaign, which began in March 2013, was prompted by the “foreign agents” law.
Although many organizations have not received the inspection results, at least two have been cited for failing to register as “foreign agents,” and others have been fined for fire safety violations, air quality violations, and the like, Human Rights Watch said. Inspectors examined the groups’ tax, financial, registration, and other documents. In several cases they demanded to inspect computers or email. In one case, officials demanded that an organization prove that its staff had had been vaccinated for smallpox, and in another the officials asked for chest X-rays of staff to ensure they did not have tuberculosis. In yet another case, officials demanded copies of all speeches made at the group’s recent seminars and conferences.
“The government claims the inspections are routine, but they clearly are not,” said Williamson. “The campaign is unprecedented in its scope and scale, and seems clearly aimed at intimidating and marginalizing civil society groups. This inspection campaign can potentially be used to force some groups to end advocacy work, or to close them down.”