Putin's NGO law 'suppressing dissent'
Source: Agencies |
July 22, 2012, Sunday
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RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin has approved a law which will tighten controls on civil rights groups funded from abroad, his press office said yesterday, a step opponents say is part of a campaign to suppress dissent.
The law, which was cleared by the upper house of parliament earlier this month, will force non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engaging in "political activity" to register with the Justice Ministry as "foreign agents" and to file a report to officials every quarter.
Opposition groups say Putin is trying to silence groups whose criticism of his human rights record has undercut his credibility and helped fuel seven months of protests against his rule, the biggest since he came to power in 2000.
Putin has dominated Russia for 12 years as prime minister or president and he won another six-year stint in March.
Earlier this month, the US State Department voiced "deep concern" about the NGO law - and was promptly rebuked by Moscow for "gross interference."
Putin said on Thursday that laws to open up competition in Russia's political system must be implemented with care, suggesting he is wary of reforms introduced after the protests.
In April, then-president Dmitry Medvedev signed off on a law easing regulations on the registration of political parties, cutting the required number of members from 40,000 to 500.
The law was aimed at appeasing demonstrators who had taken to the streets after accusations of voting fraud.
"It is necessary that the laws which were passed on a legislative level make their way into society," said Putin.
The law, which was cleared by the upper house of parliament earlier this month, will force non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engaging in "political activity" to register with the Justice Ministry as "foreign agents" and to file a report to officials every quarter.
Opposition groups say Putin is trying to silence groups whose criticism of his human rights record has undercut his credibility and helped fuel seven months of protests against his rule, the biggest since he came to power in 2000.
Putin has dominated Russia for 12 years as prime minister or president and he won another six-year stint in March.
Earlier this month, the US State Department voiced "deep concern" about the NGO law - and was promptly rebuked by Moscow for "gross interference."
Putin said on Thursday that laws to open up competition in Russia's political system must be implemented with care, suggesting he is wary of reforms introduced after the protests.
In April, then-president Dmitry Medvedev signed off on a law easing regulations on the registration of political parties, cutting the required number of members from 40,000 to 500.
The law was aimed at appeasing demonstrators who had taken to the streets after accusations of voting fraud.
"It is necessary that the laws which were passed on a legislative level make their way into society," said Putin.
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