Tag: NGO’s

TRANSCRIPT: [Putin at] Meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club (partial transcript continued)

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Syria, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Vladimir Putin at Valdai Club 2013 Meeting, Adapted from Screenshot of Valdai Club Video at youtube.com

(Kremlin.ru – Novgorod Region, September 19, 2013) MODERATOR SVETLANA MIRONYUK: They say that Senator McCain followed your example and published an article of his own in Pravda newspaper. He probably remembers from the Soviet years that Pravda was a well-known publication and the most popular newspaper in the country. True, a lot of time has passed and things have changed […]

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RIA Novosti: Russian Parliamentary Committee Approves NGO Snap-Check Bill

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

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, September 18, 2013) ­ A relevant parliamentary committee on Wednesday recommended that lawmakers pass a bill providing additional grounds for unscheduled checks of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The committee for public unions and organizations recommended that the bill, submitted by the Russian government in June, be passed in its first reading. According to the bill, grounds for […]

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Valdai Club opens 10th session

Education, Academia, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Valdai Club Gathering at Long Tables in Large Hall Valdai Club Gathering at Long Tables in Large Hall

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Paul Duvernet, special to RBTH – September 17, 2013) Intellectuals, politicians and journalists gathered in central Russia for four days of discussion about the country’s future. The 10th annual meeting of the Valdai Club opened Sept. 16 with a collective inquiry into the competition between identities at the international and regional levels. The […]

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10th Annual Valdai Club Meeting Opens

Education, Academia, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Russia & the West, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Valdai Club Gathering at Long Tables in Large Hall Valdai Club Gathering at Long Tables in Large Hall

(RIA Novosti – September 16, 2013) Today, beginning at 9:15 a.m. Moscow time (5:15 a.m. GMT), RIA Novosti is broadcasting live from the opening of the 10th annual meeting of the Valdai Club, a discussion forum where high-level Russian officials have been meeting with foreign political scientists since 2004. A recording of the event will be posted after the broadcast […]

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Home voting could have distorted outcome of Moscow mayoral elections – Golos movement

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, September 9, 2013) Human rights activists call the organization of the Sunday mayoral elections in Moscow exemplary but quoting their own sources say that a runoff could be held to determine the mayor. “There were no crude breaches of law, but there were subtle irregularities which we still have to study,” cochairman of Golos movement council Grigory […]

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Debate on NGOs as foreign agents continues in Russia; Deputies asked to explain the definition of “political activity”

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Russian Duma Building

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Marina Obrazkova, RBTH – September 9, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting of the Council on Civil Society and Human Rights on Sept. 4, during which he attempted to clarify his position on civil rights advocates in nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). He reminded those present that the Russian law is constructed in […]

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Interfax: Golos denies reported emigration of its head Liliya Shibanova

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Arm and Torso of Person in Brown Sweater Placing Paper Ballot into Ballot Box

(Interfax – MOSCOW, September 5, 2013) One of the leaders of the Golos movement Grigory Melkonyants has refuted rumors that the movement is wrapping up its activities in Russia and that another leader of the NGO Liliya Shibanova emigrated. “This is a special hoax ahead of the elections in order to discredit the activity of Golos,” Melkonyants told Interfax on […]

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Interfax: Golos doesn’t expect vote-rigging in Moscow, Moscow region

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Arm and Torso of Person in Brown Sweater Placing Paper Ballot into Ballot Box

(Interfax – MOSCOW, September 5, 2013) There will be no vote-rigging in Moscow, the Moscow region, or any other regions of Russia, the Golos movement said. “The situation in some regions has changed dramatically, primarily in Moscow and the Moscow region. I am almost confident that there will be no direct vote-rigging on the voting day and the ballots will […]

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Leading Russian rights activists not to meet Obama in St. Petersburg

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Barack Obama Sitting at Desk with Mike McFaul Standing Next to Him Facing Him

(Interfax – Moscow, September 4, 2013) The veterans of the Russian human rights movement, Lyudmila Alekseyeva, Lev Ponomarev and Svetlana Gannushkina, have given up on taking part in a meeting with US President Barack Obama in St Petersburg since its date is constantly being changed. “They have changed all this business several times: at first 5 September then 6 September, […]

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Moscow Gives Office to Evicted Human Rights NGO

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, September 5, 2013) ­ The Moscow authorities have donated an office to a Russian human rights NGO, a source in the city administration told RIA Novosti Thursday, after it was evicted from its previous home in July. The For Human Rights movement’s new downtown office will be free of charge to the organization for 49 years, […]

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Reminder: Call for Nominations Klebnikov Fellowship Program [by September 15]

Education, Academia, Jobs, Opportunities, Calls for Papers, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Columbia University Campus with Main Building

Subject: Reminder: Call for Nominations Klebnikov Fellowship Program From: The Paul Klebnikov Fellowship at the Harriman Institute <lch2111@columbia.edu> Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 15:06:20 +0000 Columbia/Harriman Institute Dear Friends and Colleagues, We write to ask for your help in identifying extraordinary candidates for the Harriman Institute’s Paul Klebnikov Russian Civil Society Fellowship for the 2013/14 academic year (much gratitude to […]

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Foreign funding is no obstacle to provision of state grants to NGOs – expert

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

(Interfax – MOSCOW, August 26, 2013) Non-governmental organizations that received funding from abroad are on the lift of recipients of grants from the state, Maria Slobodskaya, president of the Institute of Civil Society Issues and a member of the Russian Public Chamber, said. “The issue of who received foreign funding or did not receive foreign funding was not even considered. […]

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RIA Novosti: Kremlin to Finance ‘Foreign Agent’ NGOs – Report

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

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 26, 2013) ­ The Kremlin will give grants to the Memorial human rights organization and several other opposition-minded NGOs that prosecutors earlier this year accused of being “foreign agents,” the Russian business newspaper Vedomosti reported Monday. Two regional branches of Memorial will receive a combined 800,000 rubles ($24,000) from the 2.3 billion rubles ($700 million) […]

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22 ‘Foreign Agents’ Detected in Russia After Mass Searches, Prosecutor Says

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

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – August 22, 2013) Mass searches of NGOs across the country have helped to detect 22 “foreign agents,” a top official from the Prosecutor General’s Office said Thursday. The law, which requires non-governmental organizations that receive funding from abroad and engage in “political activity” to register as “foreign agents,” came into effect in November. In March, […]

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Golos Reborn in Time for Election Day

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 – Yekaterina Kravtsova – August 21, 2013) Sitting in a tiny room that serves as a temporary office for elections watchdog Golos, Grigory Melkonyants, a senior member of the now defunct organization, is full of enthusiasm. Despite the roller-coaster ride the organization has been through in recent months caused by sanctions placed on it by the […]

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Moscow Helsinki Group head says law on NGOs must be cancelled

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

(Interfax – MOSCOW, August 2, 2013) Head of the Moscow Helsinki Group Lyudmila Alexeyeva said she disagreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said he was opposed to toughening or liberalizing the law on non-governmental organizations (NGO) – foreign agents. “I think that this law must be cancelled over its absurdity,” Alexeyeva told Interfax on Friday. “We, NGOs, do not […]

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Sentence first, verdict afterwards

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
European Court of Human Rights Building file photo

(opendemocracy.net – Kirill Koroteev – Aug. 1, 2013) Kirill Koroteev, a Russian lawyer, has worked with Memorial Human Rights Centre (Moscow) and European Human Rights Advocacy Centre on numerous cases lodged against the Russian Federation with the European Court of Human Rights. He was also a charge de mission for the International Federation for Human Rights (Paris) on Belarus and […]

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‘Foreign Agents’ fight for survival

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

(opendemocracy.net – Yuri Dzhibladze – July 30, 2013) Yuri Dzhibladze is founder and president of the Centre for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights, a Russian public policy and advocacy NGO. The Centre for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights has achieved much in fifteen years, but now, like so many NGOs, it has been branded a ‘foreign […]

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Keeping calm and carrying on

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(opendemocracy.net – Anna Sharogradskaya – July 31, 2013) Anna Sharogradskaya is the director of the Regional Press Institute in St Petersburg, lecturer in Journalism and social activist. St Petersburg’s Regional Press Institute has defended Russian media rights for the last two decades. Like other similar organisations, it has been subjected to various forms of governmental harassment, but has managed to […]

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Call for Nominations: Klebnikov Fellowship Program

Education, Academia, Environment, Human Rights, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Opportunities
Columbia University Campus with Main Building

Subject: Call for Nominations Klebnikov Fellowship Program From: The Paul Klebnikov Fellowship at the Harriman Institute <lch2111@columbia.edu> Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 Columbia  University Harriman Institute Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies Dear Friends and Colleagues, We write to ask for your help in identifying extraordinary candidates for the Harriman Institute’s Paul Klebnikov Russian Civil Society Fellowship for the 2013/14 […]

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U.S.-Russia Peer-to-Peer Dialogue Program [Grants Available; application deadline Aug. 12, 2013]

Education, Academia, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Opportunities, Science, Technology, Engineering, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Stylized Russian and U.S. Flags with Number 200, 1807-2007

From: “US-Russia Dialogue, Moscow” <US-RussiaDialogue@state.gov> Subject: US-Russia Peer-to-Peer Dialogue Program Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 U.S.-Russia Peer-to-Peer Dialogue Program To help foster greater contacts between Americans and Russians, the State Department is announcing the U.S.-Russia Peer-to-Peer Dialogue Program, which will provide small grants to support collaboration, including meetings, virtual interactions, exchanges, and internships, between American and Russian organizations.   Applications from […]

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Audit Says Golos Owes 2.3M Rubles in Back Taxes

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

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – July 19, 2013) The Federal Tax Service has accused election watchdog Golos of not paying 2.28 million rubles ($70,200) in income taxes in 2009-10 on funding it received from USAID, in what rights activists see as the latest in a string of state attacks on independent observers. Auditors from Tax Inspectorate No. 9 concluded that […]

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Perm NGO Cleared Over Refusal to Register as ‘Foreign Agent’

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

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – July 18, 2013) A court in Perm has ruled not to punish local nongovernmental organization Grany Center for refusing to register as a “foreign agent,” a news report said Thursday. Prosecutors had asked the court to find Grany Center guilty of violating the controversial law passed in November requiring all groups that receive foreign funding […]

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U.S. State Department Offers Grants to Russian NGOs

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Department of State Signage and Headquarters Building File Photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – July 17, 2013) The U.S. State Department has announced a grant competition for Russian organizations to create programs improving relations between the two countries. The U.S. announcement about the competition, called the U.S.-Russia Peer-to-Peer Dialogue Program, comes amid what is perceived to be a crackdown by Russian authorities on nongovernmental organizations that detect and publicize […]

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Snowden has no grounds to apply for Russian citizenship – Russian human rights activist

Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Edward Snowden file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW. July 17, 2013) Former CIA employee Edward Snowden has no right to submit documents for Russian citizenship, Civil Assistance human rights committee head Svetlana Gannushkina told Interfax on Wednesday. Lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, who is helping Snowden, said on Wednesday that Snowden did not exclude applying for Russian citizenship. “As of today, Snowden has no right to submit […]

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Gorbachev proposes establishing global peace movement

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Military, United Nations
File Photo of Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan at Table Signing Documents

(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 16, 2013) Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev said he was concerned with the high number of armed conflicts around the world and that he proposed the creation of a global peace movement. “Something is not working in the world, the arms race is on again. Either protest movements or conflicts between tribes and entire nations are […]

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Golos hopes to receive state grant, to reset relations with authorities

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Image of Map of Russia for Polling Place Webcams

(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 15, 2013) The Russian voter rights movement Golos (Voice) said it counted on receiving 14 million rubles from the state budget for its program whose aim is to increase public confidence in elections. “We have drafted a project, which is aimed at increasing society’s trust in the voting infrastructure and have written an application, which we […]

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NGOs refuse to confirm their ‘agent’ status’ Not a single organization has registered as a “foreign agent” in the past year

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

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Marina Obrazkova, RBTH – July 15, 2013) The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has conducted a large-scale inspection of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and discovered that more than 1,800 had received financing from abroad in the last year. A law requiring NGOs involved in political activity and receiving money from abroad to register as foreign […]

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Russian senator blames underfunding for loss on influence in post-Soviet space

CIS, Customs Union, Eurasian Union, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Map of European Portion of Former Soviet Union

(Interfax – St. Petersburg, July 10, 2013) The Federation Council is concerned that Russia is losing influence in the post-Soviet space because of the lack of funds to finance Russian NCOs (noncommercial organizations) which work there. Igor Morozov, a member of the Committee on International Affairs, told a Federation Council meeting on Wednesday (10 July) that the European Union and […]

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Russian prosecutor calls for more NGOs oversight

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Yury Chaika file photo

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Anna Arutunyan – July 11, 2013) Russia’s Prosecutor General Yury Chaika has claimed that non-government organizations lack oversight and are capable of undermining state interests, after revealing that three NGOs were allegedly involved in terrorist activity, while 20 NGOs violated tax regulations. Chaika’s calls for more oversight have come amid debates in wake of a […]

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Half of Russians Support Tough NGO Sanctions

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

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – July 11, 2013) Over half of Russians support tough measures implemented against NGOs, while nearly a third don’t know what activities these organizations are actually engaged in, a Levada Center poll suggests. A controversial law was passed in November requiring all groups that receive foreign funding and engage in “political activity” to register as “foreign […]

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Memorial refuses to be recognized as foreign agent

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

(Interfax – MOSCOW. July 10, 2013) The Russian human rights and educational society Memorial has dismissed Prosecutor General Yury Chaika’s statement that Memorial has set up a ramified structure in order to evade registration as a foreign agent. “Memorial (branches) emerged in many cities and consolidated into one organization on its own, and it had nothing to do with those […]

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Russian rights ombudsman sets hopes on changes to controversial NGO law

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

(Interfax – July 9, 2013) Russia’s human rights ombudsman, Vladimir Lukin, has said he hopes the controversy over Russia’s “foreign agent” NGO law will subside if the legislation is amended to clearly distinguish between organizations engaged in political activity and those working on social issues, Russian privately-owned Interfax news agency reported on 9 July.(1) “Everything depends on which amendments are […]

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Russian NGOs received over 30 billion rubles of financing in six months – Prosecutor General

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

(Interfax – July 9, 2013) Over 2,000 non-governmental organizations (NGO) operating in Russia received over 30 billion rubles since the new law on NGOs came into effect, Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika said. “Since the law came into effect – since November 2012 until April 2013 – NGOs received generally (…) 30.8 billion rubles,” Chaika told Russian President Vladimir Putin. […]

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Veteran human rights defender: Russia should scrap ‘foreign agents’ law

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

(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 4, 2013) A veteran Russian human rights defender insisted on Thursday that Russia ditch its law that prescribes “foreign agent” status for foreign-funded Russian nonprofit organizations (NPOs) that are involved in domestic political activities. “I am convinced that this law must be repealed,” Lyudmila Alexeyeva, leader of the Moscow Helsinki Group, told Interfax. She was commenting […]

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Russian rights body urges Putin to improve authorities’ relations with NGOs

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

(Interfax – Moscow, July 1, 2013) The presidential council for human rights (CHR), having examined the situation with the eviction of members of the movement For Human Rights from their office, has urged the head of state to take measures to protect non-commercial organizations (NGOs) in cases of this kind. “Considering this conflict in the general context of current tasks […]

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Pressure ratchets up on major Russian NGO

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

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Yulia Ponomareva, RBTH – July 1, 2013) The Movement For Human Rights is among dozens of organizations teetering on the brink of a shutdown for protesting new legislation on NGOs and the first one that authorities have evicted by force. Lev Ponomarev, a 71-year-old human rights activist, is going through a hard time […]

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Golos NGO pays both fines for refusal to register as foreign agent

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

(Interfax – June 28, 2013) The Golos non-governmental association has paid fines imposed by court for refusing to register as a foreign agent. “We fulfilled the court ruling categorically and paid both fines imposed,” Golos Deputy Director Grigory Melkonyants told Interfax on June 27. On April 25, the magistrate precinct of Moscow’s Presnensky Court fined Golos 300,000 rubles ($9,000) and […]

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For Human Rights engages in political activities, gets foreign funding – prosecutor

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

(Interfax – June 28, 2013) Moscow prosecutors inspected the movement For Human Rights because its leader Lev Ponomaryov organized political actions and there is information that this NGO is receiving money from abroad. The organization “has been found to receive money from foreign organizations and engage in political activities,” a representative of the Moscow prosecutors said in the Moscow Zamoskvoretsky […]

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Russia Gets First Official ‘Foreign Agent’

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

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, June 28, 2013) ­ The state roster of “foreign agents” among Russian nongovernmental organizations finally added its first entry on Thursday, a year after it was established, the Justice Ministry said Friday. The first organization to voluntarily sign up as a “foreign agent” was the Supporting Competition in CIS Countries noncommercial partnership, which had not made […]

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Moscow Prosecutors to Look into NGO Eviction

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

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, June 27, 2013) Moscow prosecutors have launched a probe into Saturday’s eviction of a Russian human rights organization from its office, a Moscow deputy prosecutor said on Wednesday. “The city’s prosecutor instructed to probe actions by Moscow Mayor’s office officials and by police officers,” Moscow First Deputy Prosecutor Alexander Kozlov said, adding that prosecutors would also […]

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Independent Russian Election Watchdog To Create Replacement Despite Suspension

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

(RIA Novosti – Moscow, June 26, 2013) The suspension by the Justice Ministry of the operation of the Golos (Voice, or Vote) association will not prevent its leaders from registering a new and similar organization; moreover, Golos has recently launched the winding-up procedure, deputy executive director of the association Grigoriy Melkonyants has told RIA Novosti. The Justice Ministry has suspended […]

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EVENT: Last Call for RSVPs: Generation Next: Emerging Civic Leaders in Russia Today [Washington, D.C., Wednesday, June 26, 2013, nearly full]

Events, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Woodrow Wilson Center Facade file photo

Date:  Mon, 24 Jun 2013 Kennan Institute <kennan@WILSONCENTER.ORG> Subject: Kennan Institute – Last Call for RSVPs Kennan Institute/Wilson Center Last Call for RSVPs Our June 26 half-day conference cosponsored with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Generation Next: Emerging Civic Leaders in Russia Today, is almost full. If you wish to attend, make sure to respond today so we can accomodate […]

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Rights group left with crushed computer after eviction from Moscow office – head

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

(Interfax – MOSCOW. June 24, 2013) Police and private security guards crushed a computer in evicting Russia’s For Human Rights group from its Moscow headquarters early on Saturday, according to the organization’s leader. For Human Rights, one of Russia’s oldest and largest rights groups, was thrown out of its office in the city center in a predawn raid because of […]

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Billionaire to Pay Lease for Evicted Human Rights Group

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

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, June 25, 2013) ­ Russian billionaire-turned-politician Mikhail Prokhorov, who leads the Civil Platform party, will donate 1.5 million rubles ($45,870) to pay the annual rent for a Russian human rights group evicted from its office last weekend, a party member said on Tuesday. Prokhorov made his pledge at a meeting with Lev Ponomaryov, leader of the […]

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Law on foreign agents is not repressive – Naryshkin

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Russian Duma Building

(Interfax – MOSCOW, June 20, 2013) Russian State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin believes it is important that society should understand that the legislation on NGOs is not restrictive in nature and the state is interested in increasing the number of NGOs and their unimpeded work. “As for NGOs, it is, of course, important that society should understand that the law […]

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Interfax: Russia can liquidate ‘foreign agent’ NGOs but cannot force them to register

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

(Interfax – Moscow, June 18, 2013) Russian Justice Minister Aleksandr Konovalov has not ruled out that the register of non-commercial organizations – (serving as) “foreign agents” will never contain a single entry because there is no legal mechanism to forcibly register NGOs as such. “In accordance with the law, there is a chance that the list of these foreign agents […]

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Watchdog Cites ‘Troubling Deterioration’ For Civil Society In Eurasia

Central Asia, CIS, Customs Union, Eurasian Union, Europe, EU, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Map of European Portion of Former Soviet Union

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Heather Maher – June 18, 2013) Countries in Central Europe and Central Asia are increasingly being ruled by autocratic governments with little regard for democracy, according to the 2013 “Nations In Transit” report by democracy watchdog Freedom House. The result has been a worsening of existing corruption, media censorship, and violence against political opposition, the group […]

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RIA Novosti: Putin Praises Russia’s ‘Liberal’ NGO Legislation

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

(RIA Novosti – NOVO-OGARYOVO, June 14, 2013) ­ Russian legislation regarding non-governmental organizations is far more liberal that of other countries, President Vladimir Putin said Friday, in an implicit response to Western criticism that recent Russian legislation on NGOs is too restrictive. “Our legislation is more liberal,” he said in Moscow at a meeting of the Civil 20, the arm […]

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Law on NGOs-foreign agents must be nullified, not elaborated – Memorial head

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

(Interfax – MOSCOW, June 14, 2013) Head of a leading non-governmental organization (NGO) in Russia, the Historical, Enlightenment and Human Rights Society Memorial, Arseny Roginsky, said he did not see any sense in elaborating the law obliging NGOs with foreign financing to register as foreign agents. “It is impossible to elaborate this law. It violates the right on freedom of […]

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