MOSCOW, October 27./TASS/ the Russian Ministry of justice submitted to the Council under the Russian President civil society development and human rights (SPCH) the bill toughening the requirements to the activities and statements of NGOs-“foreign agents”. The document was reviewed on October 27 at the meeting of the Presidium of the HRC, a copy of the draft law is available.
In particular, the document envisages a ban for officials “to participate in activities or to be members of the management bodies of noncommercial organizations performing functions of a foreign agent; to travel outside the Russian Federation during leisure purposes at the expense of foreign States, international and foreign organizations, foreign citizens and stateless persons and Russian legal entities receiving monetary funds and other property from said sources”.
The explanatory note States that in relation to NGOs-“foreign agents” are the provisions about the necessity of submission to the Ministry of justice and its agencies “programs and other documents forming the basis for carrying out activities financed and (or) held with the participation of foreign sources and in-depth report on their use”. In addition, structural units of foreign non-governmental organizations will be required to make public statements in the order similar to Russian NGOs.
One of the amendments provides for the elimination of the NPO “for repeated failure to perform duties” on granting to the Ministry of justice and its agencies “information on its activities to the extent and in the manner provided for by the law “On noncommercial organizations”.
