21 December 2005
INTERNATIONAL OUTCRY OVER PROPOSED NGO LAW
In Russia, where the media has come under increasing state influence since President Vladimir Putin took office in 2000, non-governmental organisations are some of the only remaining independent voices that can criticise the government.
A proposed bill currently being debated in Russia's parliament, however, threatens to give the government wider powers to muzzle critics, report Human Rights Watch, Norwegian PEN, ARTICLE 19 and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).
The bill "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation" bars foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from working in Russia if they do not register as Russian entities.
If passed, it would force several international human rights groups, foundations and humanitarian aid agencies to close their Russian offices. Government officials would be able to arbitrarily deny registration to NGOs, or audit them at any time by requesting operational, financial and other internal documents. The bill also places restrictions on foreign funding of Russian NGOs and bans non-Russian staff.
ARTICLE 19 says the proposed law violates international human rights treaties that Russia has signed, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. RSF says the law would likely prevent them from establishing an office in Russia.
In response to local and international pressure from organisations including the Council of Europe and European Union, Putin has ordered changes to the bill following its first reading in the Duma, or parliament, on 23 November 2005. The bill was debated at a second reading on 21 December.
Putin claims the proposed law is needed to fight terrorism and money laundering. Local NGOs believe the bill is an attempt to undermine civil society influence in Russia and prevent the kind of protests that eventually toppled authoritarian regimes in neighbouring Georgia and Ukraine. Russia is holding parliamentary elections in 2007.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1) Write a letter to President Putin stating your concerns about the bill. Use Human Rights Watch's sample letter: http://hrw.org/campaigns/russia/ngos/index.htm
2) Stay informed.
- IFEX Alerts on Russia: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/212/
- Human Rights Watch Backgrounder on the Bill: http://hrw.org/backgrounder/eca/russia1105
- ARTICLE 19: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/press/russian-ngo-law.pdf
- Norwegian PEN: http://www.humanrightshouse.org/dllvis5.asp?id=3961
- Index on Censorship on Russia's Mouthpiece Media:
http://tinyurl.com/ao25k
- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=15871
- Council of Europe: http://tinyurl.com/atwou
- Legal Analysis of Draft Law: http://act4europe.horus.be/module/FileLib/ICNLanalysis.doc
- Russian NGOs say Amendments Don't Help: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/12/21/001.html
- Open Democracy: http://tinyurl.com/bk8yl
- CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/op_ed/Cooper07july05.html
- EurActiv: http://tinyurl.com/8h3wy
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