Legislation came into effect yesterday requiring any NGO receiving money from abroad to register as “foreign agents”. While the law ostensibly only applies to NGOs involved in “political activity”, what this means is not clearly defined.
This has lead to a campaign of civil disobedience across Russia, but particularly in Moscow, where most NGOs are based. A large number of NGOs have said that they will not comply with the legislation, but the authorities have insisted that the law must be obeyed. While we wait to see the fall-out of this law, tensions are even more strained than ever between human rights groups and the Kremlin.
Labelling a group as a foreign agent effectively states that they are acting in the interests of another country, in a similar way to, although without the same protections as, diplomats and so on. The term carries connotations of the Cold War with it, and as such is seen by many as a step backward for Russia.
The punishments are severe, potentially three years in prison, and fines for both individuals and organisations. This comes just after the ironically hilarious news that Moscow has banned a protest against political oppression “because there is no political oppression”.
From VV’s Live Journal:
Foreign Agent
This is how the building of the historical educational human rights centre “Memorial” looks today.
So they could have written something like “Enemy of the State”, or stuck up a yellow star. Although, as their leader said not long ago “It’s not 1937 now”.
From VV’s LiveJournal:
ilya_tsypin:
I don’t really understand the position of Memorial themselves. Why they won’t register as “foreign agents” is a mystery. Even stranger is the statement on their official site to the effect that the appearance of graffiti on the walls of the Memorial building they take as a deliberate insult to millions of people who died in the gulags. What have gulags got to do with it? Why are they making it all into one issue?
bumblebeat: (responding to above)
Because they’re not foreign agents. You haven’t registered as an FSB agent.
olegn1: (responding to above)
What’s wrong with being an FSB agent. It’s Russia’s FSB. It’s not the American CIA.
bumblebeat: (responding to above)
There’s nothing wrong with it. If you don’t think that Putin’s FSB are a direct descendent of the glorious deeds of the OGPU-NKVD-KGB.
[Note: the above is a list of Russia’s secret police services going back through time]
r_moulin:
Has someone called the police? There’s been damage to the paintwork to the sum of no less than 28.2 million roubles [£575,000, 700,000€]
lesnoy_volk:
It seems that somewhere nearby the office of United Russia is also located, no?
[Note: United Russia is the current ruling power in Russia]
classiks:
Ha, they could just as well have written “Putin’s Agent”, it’d be just as shameful.
ecilop1:
[It’s not 1937], it’s 2012. It’s not better, just different.
ingermann:
This photo has a “twin”:
ilya_tsypin:
They’re some sort of hooligans.