Assault on Democracy: Russia Cracks Down on NGOs
October 30, 2006

Nearly 100 domestic and international NGOs inside of Russia have had their activities suspended by the Kremlin for “failing to meet a deadline for re-registration under a tough new law” according to a CNN report.  The lists of organizations that have had their operations interrupted under this law include Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW), the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and the International Republican Institute.  In the CNN report NGO lawyer Kim Reed claims that “if you are an organization involved in human rights or democracy activities then your application gets much harsher scrutiny.” 

BBC News reports Russian officials say the “new law, allowing monitoring of foreign and domestic NGOs, will stop foreign governments using them for political purposes.”  Reuters says Russians claim “the law is vital to prevent terrorist, money launderers, and foreign intelligence services using NGOs as cover.”

Critics of the law claim it is “designed to silence independent thought in Russia”, according to BBC News.  Human Rights Watch has claimed they have made “repeated efforts to register, but that officials constantly changed the list of documents they require.”  The same BBC News report cites claims by NGOs that the police and security services have gone as far as coordinating “campaigns of physical harassment.” 

The suspension of NGOs throughout Russia has raised fears about the upcoming October 31st deadline that requires them to issue reports of their agenda for 2007 to the Russian government.  The Los Angeles Times writes that “some groups have expressed fear this could lead to government monitoring, bans on programs, or punishment for holding unlisted events.” HRW’s Moscow chief is quoted in Reuters as saying the law “could allow Russian officials to follow and monitor exactly how they operate” which could intrude into the internal operations of organizations.

According to CNN the European Union has “‘repeatedly expressed concern’ about the NGO law since it had been adopted in April.”  An October 23rd Washington Post article claims that the European Court of Human Rights has considerable influence, serving as a “powerful check on the excesses of the Russian bureaucracy.”  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lasrov acknowledges that “despite the fact that we do not agree with certain rulings of the court in principle, we do comply with them.” 

Reacting to these developments State Department deputy spokesperson Tom Casey called on Russia to work on re-registering the suspended NGOs “as rapidly as possible.”  He also stated that it is the desire of the administration that the Russian government uses the law to assist the work of NGOs rather than constraining it.

Recently in September the nongovernmental International Steering Committee of the Community of Democracies also proposed an “Assault on Democracy” resolution to the UN Democracy Caucus meeting at the United Nations, dealing specifically with the type of NGO-restrictive laws that are evident in Russia.  This action was followed up in a similar resolution by the African Democracy Forum.  The resolution states a concern that some CD countries “have enacted or introduced legislation designed to restrict the democracy promotion efforts of nongovernmental organizations,” and called upon members to uphold the right to “provide material and technical assistance to support NGO efforts to promote and consolidate democracy.”
 
Sources:

CNN: Russia Stops Aid Groups' Work
Washington Post: Europe's Long Legal Tether on Russia
Los Angeles Times: Foreign Groups Suspend Work in Russia Pending Registration
Reuters: Registration confusion for foreign NGOs in Russia
BBC News: NGOs face suspension in Russia
ISC: Assault on Democracy Resolution
ADF: Assault on Democracy Resolution
U.S. State Department Press Release