The State Duma adopted in the third, final reading a bill that simplifies the criteria for obtaining the status of a «foreign agent». This is stated on the website of the lower house of parliament.
According to the amendments, the Ministry of Justice will create a unified register of «foreign agents», and will also maintain a unified register of people «affiliated» with them. Now the department has four similar lists — NGOs, media, individuals and unregistered associations — their members are subject to different requirements.
“Affiliates” with “foreign agents” are individuals who were engaged in “political activities” , received money from people and organizations already included in the register of the Ministry of Justice or took part in their activities — worked in NGOs or published in the media.
To be recognized as a “foreign agent,” the law says, it will not be necessary to prove that a person or organization is financed from abroad, but only “to receive support or be under foreign influence” and “to engage in political activities in Russia, the purposeful collection of information in the field of military, military-technical activities of the country or the dissemination of messages and materials for an unlimited number of persons. -cite__image» alt=»1″ />One country, one law, one registry. The State Duma intends to change the law on «foreign agents» — it will become even easier to get such a label
Also, “foreign agents” will not be able to conduct “educational and pedagogical activities” for children in state and municipal educational institutions, produce information products for minors, receive state money, be experts in state environmental expertise, work in the civil service, be members of election commissions and act as organizers public events.
“There has been interference throughout the existence of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. We feel this interference even today on the part of the United States, Britain and other European states. Each country must defend itself if it thinks about its future,” said State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin during the discussion of the amendments.
State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption Vasily Piskarev.
In mid-June, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found the law on “foreign agents” violating human rights and awarded ten thousand euros in compensation to each of the 73 NGOs that applied to the ECHR nine years ago. However, Russia decided not to pay them, as the State Duma adopted amendments on non-execution of ECtHR decisions that came into force after Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe on March 16.