Tag: NGO’s

Russian NGOs financed from abroad obstructing prosecutorial inspections – spokesperson

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – MOSCOW, April 10, 2013) A number of non-governmental organizations (NGO) performing the functions of a foreign agent are obstructing their inspections and refusing to comply with legitimate demands by supervisory and controlling bodies, the Prosecutor General’s Office said. “It should be emphasized that some organizations receiving financing from abroad, despite inspectors’ legitimate demands, are actively obstructing the ongoing […]

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Zhukovsky’s Grassroots Revolution

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Map of Russia

(RFE/RL – Brian Whitmore – rferl.org – April 9, 2013) The Zhukovsky Peoples’ Council this week set up task forces to address a series of issues, including the environment, housing, urban renewal, transportation, and youth affairs. It all seems pretty banal at first glance, except for one small detail. The 15-member council was chosen in a free and fair vote […]

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Memorial challenges prosecutors’ inspection in court

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – MOSCOW. April 8, 2013) The historical and enlightenment society Memorial and human rights center Memorial filed a lawsuit on Monday with the Moscow Zamoskvoretsky Court against the unscheduled inspection by prosecutors. “The Memorial center challenged the unscheduled inspection by the Moscow prosecutor’s office in court, in association with the Justice Ministry and tax experts, which began on March […]

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NGOs Slam Putin’s $1Bln Foreign-Funding Estimate

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – April 9, 2013) NGO representatives on Monday questioned the validity of President Vladimir Putin’s comment to German television that NGOs in Russia had received about $1 billion from abroad since the “foreign agent” law was adopted in 2012. In the interview broadcast Friday, Putin said there were 654 active NGOs in Russia […]

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Info on foreign funding received by Russian NGOs is overestimated – Alekseyeva

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Lyudmila Alekseyeva file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW. April 8, 2013) Lyudmila Alekseyeva, the elder human rights activist in Russia and the head of the Moscow Helsinki group, believes the figures given in reports on foreign funding received by NGOs in Russia are overestimated. “This is being done to show that these organizations allegedly have money to burn. Everyone influences public opinion in the way […]

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NGO Inspections Aim to Control Foreign Funding – Putin

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin file photo

(RIA Novosti, HANOVER, April 8, 2013) The recent wave of inspections of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Russia is not aimed at restricting their activity but rather at controlling their foreign funding, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “All our actions are not designed to shut down or ban [the operation of NGOs in […]

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NGOs will not register as foreign agents – Moscow Helsinki Group chairman

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Lyudmila Alekseyeva file photo

(Interfax, MOSCOW. April 4, 2013) None of the leading NGOs will register as a foreign agent following prosecutors’ inspections, Lyudmila Alekseyeva, the head of the Russia’s oldest human rights organization, the Moscow Helsinki Group, told Interfax on Thursday. “I know for sure than no one will register. No matter how much they try,” Alekseyeva said. Deputy Prosecutor General Alexander Buksman […]

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NGOs Facing Stiff Fines Amid ‘Crackdown’

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Winning – April 5, 2013) Nongovernmental organizations across the country are being threatened with fines stretching to $20,000 or more, as authorities press on with sweeping checks that activists are calling a government-orchestrated crackdown on civil society. Prosecutors have said the checks are aimed at uncovering extremist activity and are routine, but NGOs fear […]

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Golos Under Scrutiny by Prosecutors

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – April 4, 2013) The Prosecutor General’s Office has requested documents from elections watchdog Golos and the organization’s newspaper, Grazhdansky Golos, as part of its check into nongovernmental organizations. Golos’ deputy director, Gregory Melkonyants, was presented with a written request for all legal documents, including information on staff, a schedule of activities with a list of […]

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Ombudsman Lukin asks NGOs to assess their inspections by law enforcement

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Lukin file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, April 2, 2013) Russian Human Rights Commissioner Vladimir Lukin has called on non-governmental organizations (NGO) to assess their ongoing inspections by law enforcement and tax agencies. “We have asked human rights organizations that have been subjected to inspections to send us documents and tell us how the inspections were conducted, how the law was abided by, and […]

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Human Rights Council wants to discuss NGO checks with Russian Prosecutor General

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Mikhail Fedotov file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW. March 28, 2013) Russia’s Presidential Human Rights Council is expecting Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika to explain the purposes of numerous inspections of non-governmental organizations (NGO) at the upcoming session of the council in April. “We have asked the Prosecutor General to participate in the council meeting so that representatives of the Prosecutor’s General Office can report […]

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Human Rights Council members doubt checks of non-profit entities relate to fight against extremism

Human Rights
Kremlin and St. Basil's

MOSCOW. March 28 (Interfax) – Prosecutors inspecting non-profit organizations are performing unusual duties, which are virtually repressive, a member of Russia’s Presidential Human Rights Council and board member of Memorial international society, Sergei Krivenko, said. “We tried to draw an analogy with the current unprecedented inspections in Memorial – nothing like that has happened in the past 25 years. The […]

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Experts point to flaws in mechanisms of state support for NGOs in Russia

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

MOSCOW. March 27 (Interfax) – The existing system of support for nongovernmental organizations in Russia lacks transparency in many respects which obstructs the strengthening of the role of civil society in Russian life. The conclusion can be drawn from the report “Third sector in Russia: the current state and possible development models” compiled by the Fund for Civil Society. “The […]

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NGO Checks ‘Unprecedented’ in Post-Soviet Russia

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jonathan Earle and Yekaterina Kravtsova – March 29, 2013) The Moscow Helsinki Group, Russia’s oldest human rights organization, on Thursday became the latest NGO inspected in a massive government campaign that has hit hundreds of non-state groups in 25 regions and is unprecedented in post-Soviet Russia, a rights leader said. Prosecutors and Justice Ministry officials […]

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Despite inspections, international NGO Memorial won’t reduce foreign financing

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – March 28, 2013) The international human rights society Memorial is not going to reduce financing from abroad, says Sergei Krivenko, a member of the Presidential Human Rights Council and a Memorial board member. “Memorial and all of its organizations will not reject foreign financing, which we are receiving officially and legally under various programs. On the contrary, we […]

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Prosecutor Says Extremism Law Is Behind NGO Checks

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Map of Russia

MOSCOW, March 28 (RIA Novosti) ­ A recent series of spot checks on non-governmental organizations in Russia that caused outcry among rights advocates is aimed at establishing their compliance with laws against extremism and the legalization of criminal income, the Prosecutor General’s Office said Thursday. Nationwide NGO inspections have been taking place since last month, and most observers had linked […]

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Unannounced Checks of NGOs Persist

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Natalya Krainova – March 28, 2013) Prosecutors on Wednesday continued performing unannounced inspections of nongovernmental organizations, checking the Moscow offices of three prominent groups and summoning two human rights leaders for questioning. Officials have inspected about 2,000 NGOs nationwide in the past month, Pavel Chikov, head of the Agora human rights group, said by telephone. […]

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Raids On NGOs In Russia Suggest ‘Increasingly Insecure’ Kremlin

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Claire Bigg – March 26, 2013) Amnesty International has joined a growing list of organizations raided by Russian officials in recent weeks amid what activists describe as a ruthless Kremlin crackdown on dissent. Prosecutors and tax police on March 25 searched the venerable rights watchdog’s Moscow headquarters, along with three other prominent advocacy groups — the […]

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Authorities search NGOs for ‘foreign agents’

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Stanislav Kuvaldin, special to RBTH – March 27, 2013) Law enforcement organs are conducting mass checks of Russian NGOs. According to information from human rights activists, more than 40 organizations in 16 regions of Russia have already been inspected. The Justice Ministry and the Public Prosecutor’s Office have announced their intention to check […]

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More Inspections Hit Rights NGOs in Russia

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Kremlin and St. Basil's

MOSCOW, March 27 (RIA Novosti) ­ Russian state officials continued a wave of raids on prominent rights organizations on Wednesday that activists describe as a renewed pressure campaign against non-governmental organizations in the country. On Wednesday, officials from the Prosecutor General’s Office and tax control service targeted several more NGOs, including the Moscow offices of Human Rights Watch, Transparency International […]

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Prosecutors start audit of Memorial anti-discrimination center in St. Petersburg

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Kremlin and St. Basil's

ST. PETERSBURG. March 26 (Interfax) – Prosecutors are conducting an audit on Tuesday in the Memorial anti-discrimination center in St. Petesrburg. “The audit is continuing. We are writing an explanatory letter. The procedures are being conducted in a calm and matter of fact manner. There is something connected with extremism behind the audit,” Memorial Director Olga Abramenko told Interfax. Meanwhile, […]

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Amnesty Intl’s Russian office chief says may be summoned to prosecutor’s office

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Kremlin and St. Basil's

MOSCOW. March 25 (Interfax) – The head of Amnesty International’s Russian office Sergei Nikitin announced after police visited the office that he could be summoned to the prosecutor’s office soon. Prosecutors, Justice Ministry and tax officials started an audit on several nongovernmental organizations on Monday, among them Amnesty International, Public Verdict and the Movement for Human Rights. “They spent five […]

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Checks at Russian NGOs seek to identify ‘foreign agents’ – Justice Ministry

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – Moscow, March 25, 2013) The Justice Ministry has explained that mass checks at NGOs are being carried out to uncover the organizations that fall under the definition of “foreign agents”. “If breaches of the laws of the Russian Federation are uncovered, including the provisions of the Federal Law “On the introduction of changes to legislative acts as regards […]

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Russian human rights activists expresses fears about closure of prominent NGOs in Russia

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Lyudmila Alekseyeva file photo

(Interfax – March 24, 2013) Lyudmila Alekseyeva, Russia’s oldest human rights activist and the head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, is concerned that the recent inspection of NGOs conducted by the law enforcement agencies may lead to the closure of many prominent NGOs in Russia. “I don’t know what they are looking for. They are probably looking for evidence of […]

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Russian rights council asks Prosecutor’s Office to explain mass checks of NGOs

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – Moscow, March 21, 2013) Members of the Presidential Human Rights Council (HRC) have appealed to Prosecutor-General Yuriy Chayka with regard to complaints from NGOs from a number of regions in the country about mass checks by the oversight body. “The last few days have seen an unending flood of reports from the heads of NGOs in Krasnodar, Perm […]

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Hundreds of NGOs Checked for Foreign Agents, Extremism

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Race, Ethnic, Extremism, Xenophobia
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jonathan Earle – March 20, 2013) Acting on instructions from the Prosecutor General’s Office, government inspectors in at least nine Russian regions have conducted hundreds of unannounced checks on non-governmental organizations, including well-known human rights, environment and religious groups. The checks are designed to catch organizations that receive foreign funding and are involved in “political […]

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A new U.S.-Russia think tank launched for ‘fresh vision’

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Vladimir Putin Leaning Towards Barack Hussein Obama With Flags Behind Them

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – www.rbth.ru – Nora FitzGerald, RBTH – March 18, 2013) Nikolai Zlobin, a bestselling author in Russia with longtime ties to the U.S., launches an independent think tank on U.S.-Russia relations to foster the collaboration between two countries and overcome the Cold War thinking. Nikolai Zlobin, the Russian political analyst who wrote a compassionately amusing bestseller […]

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Russian Opposition, Rights Activists Plan to Set Up Non-Political Movement

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Map of Russia

(Interfax – March 14, 2013) Russia’s opposition, human rights campaigners and civil activists have decided to establish a new public movement, which will be named the Civil Federation. Leading human rights organizations, the For Human Rights movement and the Moscow Helsinki Group, activists of the Moscow Civil Forum and the White Ribbon pro-opposition group will form the core of the […]

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Prosecutor General Checks NGOs for Source of Foreign Funding

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anya Aseeva – March 11, 2013) The Prosecutor General’s office, together with the Justice Ministry and the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service, has begun conducting large-scale unscheduled checks into non-governmental organizations to determine sources of foreign funding, a news report said Monday. Marina Grudneva, a spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General’s office, said the inspection was being conducted […]

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Justice Ministry Refuses to Check Golos Election Watchdog

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Arm and Torso of Person in Brown Sweater Placing Paper Ballot into Ballot Box

(Moscow TImes – themoscowtimes.com – February 26, 2013) The Justice Ministry has refused to conduct a check into election watchdog Golos’ compliance with recently passed legislation requiring foreign-funded organizations to register as “foreign agents” despite over 100 requests to do so. The ministry received 120 requests to recognize Golos as a foreign agent, and 350 such requests for the Levada […]

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Russian NGOs: The Funding Realities

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(opendemocracy.net – Pavel Chikov – February 15, 2013) Pavel Chikov is chair of AGORA, an association of human rights organisations based in Kazan. Since 1999 Chikov has been a leading human rights lawyer and head of a number of Russian human rights organizations in Moscow and Kazan Continuing oDRussia’s debate on the future for Russian NGO funding, now a view […]

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Why domestic philanthropy isn’t enough for Russian NGOs

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Population Disaster, Demographics
Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

(opendemocracy.net – Michael Allen – February 14, 2013) Michael Allen is a Special Assistant in Government Relations and Public Affairs at the National Endowment for Democracy and editor of the Democracy Digest blog. Writing on oDRussia yesterday [JRL#31], Almut Rochowonski argued that Kremlin’s repression of NGOs could work in their favour by encouraging domestic giving. Her mistake was assuming Russian […]

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Funding Russian NGOs: opportunity in a crisis?

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(opendemocracy.net – Almut Rochowanski – February 13, 2013) Almut Rochowanski is a co-founder and coordinator of Chechnya Advocacy Network, a US-based NGO. Russian NGOs have traditionally looked abroad for their funding, and are dismayed at recent legislation setting up new barriers to this practice. Almut Rochowanski argues, however, that this should be seen as a challenge to increase the involvement […]

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NGOs Slam Volunteer Bill

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Federation Council file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Winning – February 12, 2013) Prominent nongovernmental organizations said Monday that a new bill on volunteerism would stifle their work through increased bureaucracy and unnecessary regulation. At a roundtable organized by the Civic Initiatives Committee, a think tank headed by former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, NGOs said it would be senseless to adopt legislation […]

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Foreign Agent Law Complaint Sent to Strasbourg

Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
European Court of Human Rights Building file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Nikolaus von Twickel – February 8, 2013) Eleven prominent rights groups have sent a complaint against Russia’s so-called foreign agent law, which targets NGOs engaged in political activities, to the European Court of Human Rights. The organizations argued on Thursday that the legislation violates the Constitution and fundamental human rights ­ such as the freedoms […]

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New Report: U.S. Needs Post-Reset Policy on Russia

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Vladimir Putin Leaning Towards Barack Hussein Obama With Flags Behind Them

Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2013 From: Mary McGuire <mcguire@freedomhouse.org> Subject: New Report: U.S. Needs Post-Reset Policy on Russia Freedom House FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Mary McGuire at +1-202-747-7035 or mobile, +1-202-683-0909 New Report: U.S. Needs Post-Reset Policy on Russia Washington ­ February 6, 2013 ­ As President Obama enters his second term, he and his administration should formulate an approach […]

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Law on “foreign agent” NGOs does not work, has “large psychological effect” – Fedotov

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Mikhail Fedotov file photo

MOSCOW. Feb 6 (Interfax) – The law on “foreign agent” NGOs has not had a legal effect as yet, Presidential Human Rights Council Chairman Mikhail Fedotov told a press conference at Interfax. “The law in its current form has had a psychological rather than legal effect,” he noted. Not a single organization has been registered as a foreign agent, Fedotov […]

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HRW report on Russia’s human rights record biased – Naryshkin

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Russian Jail File Photo Showing Outer Wall, Windows, Barbed Wire

LUXEMBOURG. Feb 5 (Interfax) – State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin said Human Rights Watch is a politically-biased organization. “Human Rights Watch has long entered Russia on the list of countries with an inferior human rights record,” Naryshkin told reporters in Luxembourg, when asked to comment on the HRW’s most recent report. The HRW’s activities were discussed in the most general […]

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Justice Ministry Requires Approval for Use of ‘Foreign Agent’ Law

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – February 5, 2013) The Justice Ministry has called on the ministry’s regional branches to get approval from the central office before applying the controversial law on “foreign agents.” The move was prompted by the Saratov branch issuing a warning to a local non-governmental organization that the central office considered “not fully lawful,” Vedomosti reported Monday, […]

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U.S. Ambassador to Russia expects further dialogue on civil society issues

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Ambassador Michael McFaul file photo

VOLGOGRAD. Feb 1 (Interfax) – Discussion of civil society issues will continue in spite of the U.S. dropout from the relevant bilateral working group, U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said at the Russian-U.S. Center in Volgograd on Friday. McFaul said the working group was formed in June 2009 and he co-chaired it with Vladislav Surkov. He noted they had […]

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Civil society needs to be supported, strengthened – Putin

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin file photo

MOSCOW. Jan 31 (Interfax) – Russia needs to develop democratic institutes and strengthen civil society, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday to summarize results of the expanded government meeting. “We have to go beyond the government policy fundamentals until 2018, which have been presented today, so to solve all problems faced by the country and to keep all promises given […]

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U.S. NGOs’ Decision To Move Russian Staff Divides Observers

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(RIA Novosti – January 30, 2013) Reports on 30 January that two US NGOs have closed their Russian branches and taken Russian staff to Lithuania over concerns for their safety prompted a mixed reaction from public figures and commentators. Some said the move was understandable in light of changes to legislation, introduced in November 2012, which require foreign-funded NGOs to […]

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Russia: Worst Crackdown Since Soviet Era; Government Should Stop Pressure, Reprisals on Civil Society

Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

From: “HRW Press” <hrwpress@hrw.org> Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2013 Subject: Russia: Worst Crackdown Since Soviet Era For Immediate Release Russia: Worst Crackdown Since Soviet Era Government Should Stop Pressure, Reprisals on Civil Society (Moscow, January 31, 2013) ­ The Kremlinn in 2012 unleashed the worst political crackdown in Russia’s post-Soviet history, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report […]

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Russia’s Leading NGOs, Running Out of Funds, May be Forced to Close

JRL Tables of Contents
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, January 19 – http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2013/01/window-on-eurasia-russias-leading-ngos.html) Squeezed by a November 2012 law that restricts their ability to accept money from abroad and the unwillingness of wealthier Russians to contribute to groups the Kremlin doesn’t like, an increasing number of prominent Russian NGOs are running out of funds and may soon be forced to close. […]

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Russian Justice Ministry finds no NGOs falling foul of anti-Magnitskiy law

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – January 18, 2013) Russia’s Justice Ministry has said that it has so far found no NGOs headed by or financed by citizens of the USA whose activities could be suspended under the “anti-Magnitskiy” law (also known as the Dima Yakovlev law). The law, better known for its controversial Article 4, which bans US citizens from adopting Russian children, […]

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Only One Russian NGO Registered as Foreign Agent

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

MOSCOW, January 16 (RIA Novosti) – Russian Justice Minister Alexander Konovalov said on Wednesday that only one non-governmental organization in Russia has so far registered as a foreign agent under a recently introduced law on NGOs. Russia’s controversial new law, obligating non-governmental organizations financed from abroad and involved in political activity to register as “foreign agents,” came into force last […]

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NEWSLINK: USA to reckon with ‘Putin factor’ after magazine power ratin – pundits

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Putin Leaning Towards Barack Hussein Obama With Flags Behind Them

[USA to reckon with ‘Putin factor’ after magazine power rating – pundits – BBC Monitoring/Ekho Moskvy Radio – January 4, 2013 – no open link exists to this product] Ekho Moskvy Radio addresses what it terms Foreign Policy magazine’s move to call Russian President Vladimir Putin the world’s the most powerful person, including the fact that the magazine actually listed […]

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Putin Declares War on Orphans, NGOs and the U.S.

Children, Adoptions, Orphans, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Russian Orphans with Mr. and Mrs. Dmitry Medvedev

(Bloomberg editorial – bloomberg.com – January 2, 2013) On New Year’s Day, a law took effect in Russia banning U.S. families from adopting children there. Not only is this use of orphans to score a political point repugnant, it also reflects a worrying defensive and isolationist trend in President Vladimir Putin’s foreign and domestic policies. The adoption ban was rushed […]

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Russian NGO head could lose job over new law

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Lyudmila Alekseyeva file photo

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Alina Lobzina – December 28, 2012) Ludmila Alexeyeva, a leading Russian human rights advocate, is ready to defend the job she might lose under the newly adopted Russian response to the Magnitsky Act, she told RIA Novosti on Friday. The bill signed by President Vladimir Putin earlier in the day prohibits holders of US passports […]

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NEWSLINK: Top 10 events in Russian politics in 2012

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Military, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Map of Russia

Russia Beyond the Headlines sets out its list of top news stories for 2012: 1. The presidential election … 2. Medvedev’s Cabinet … 3. United Russia’s new leader … Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev swapped jobs ­ and not only in public office … 4. Strident new laws … 5. Protest actions …

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