Law on foreign agents needs to be enforced – Naryshkin

MOSCOW. Nov 19 (Interfax) – Russian State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin has criticized the statements made by representatives of the Moscow Helsinki Group, Memorial, Golos, and the For Human Rights movement, which have publicly refused to comply with the law on foreign agents.

“I can only say that the law has been adopted and needs to be observed,” Naryshkin told reporters on Monday after being asked by Interfax to comment on the public statements made by the heads of the above-mentioned human rights organizations.

The law, which will take effect on November 20, requires NGOs receiving funding from abroad and engaging in politics to get registered as “foreign agents.”

Representatives of the leading Russian NGOs said earlier on Monday they are going to ignore the amendments to the legislation requiring NGOs with Western funding to register as “foreign agents.”