Russian parliament adopts NGO 'foreign agents' bill

parijataka

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Russia enact law to regulate NGOs; terms NGOs with foreign funding 'foreign agent`

Can we have such a law in India too to ensure no more Kudankulams ?

Russia enacts law to regulate NGOs; terms NGOs with foreign funding as 'foreign agents'

In Egypt, US NGOs were implicated in funding and triggering anti-Mubarak protests that finally led to his ouster, deaths of hundreds of people and
uncertainty to a fragile Egyptian economy.


India is showered with US$2 billion as 'donations' to Indian NGOs – which is more than what Africa gets as development aid. If that was shocking, look at Russia. The Russian Govt. estimates that NGOs in Russia got US$7 billion 'donation' from the West.

More than what Africa received as development aid in the last three years.

Not surprisingly, Russia's State Duma has given 'foreign agent' status to NGOs that receive foreign funding.

The initiators of the move, a group of MPs wanted the NGOs to fully inform Russian citizens about their foreign supporters and thus, about their real motivation. Besides, the MPs claimed the very term 'foreign agent' was copied from US legislation.

All Russian NGOs that receive monetary or other aid from a foreign source to submit a request in the Justice Ministry to be registered in a special register of foreign agent organizations. Those who fail to do so will be punished by fines of up to 3,300,000 roubles (over $100,000) and repeated violators can spend up to 2 years in prison. The Justice Ministry is charged with the task of conducting annual inspections to check if the NGOs are correctly reporting.

The author of the bill, MP Aleksander Sidyakin, dismissed all criticism as "hysteria and delirium" and stressed that the bill used similar US legislation as a "blueprint". The parliamentarian also said that foreign nations allocate up to $7 billion for Russian NGO activities and this sum was even bigger in 2011 when Russia was holding its latest State Duma elections. "Our nation had a poll that was smeared with dirt by such organizations. Let the citizens know from whose loudspeaker this dirt is pouring out and let them make their own conclusions," Sidyakin noted.

Another MP who backed the bill, Vyacheslav Nikonov, called the bill "a soft form of self-defense of Russian statehood" and that the amendments only (affected) about 1000 NGOs of a total 220,000 registered in the Russian Federation which makes only 0.4 percent.

The head of the Institute of Foreign Politics Research, Veronika Krasheninnikova, told that foreign funding was distorting competition within the civil society as significant support for a small number of NGOs leads to the disproportional rise in their importance. At the same time, people and organizations who get no funding from the West "lose their weight and lose their say". "This is not fair, it makes unequal conditions for political competition and thus we need to impose fair conditions so that all people have an opportunity to speak in equal conditions and in equal proportion," the expert said. (via Lower House approves foreign agent status for NGOs — RT).
 

Razor

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Re: Russia enact law to regulate NGOs; terms NGOs with foreign funding 'foreign age

Looks like Putin and Co. can see through the intentions of some Western nations and their annoying habit of fueling internal dissent by using NGOs.
The Western agencies did a good job of pumping money and creating trouble during the Russian election season, but Putin prevailed. :)
You can't sell BS to Russia, when Putin is in power. :)
 
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Razor

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Re: Russia enact law to regulate NGOs; terms NGOs with foreign funding 'foreign age

Russian parliament gives first approval to NGO bill
Russia's lower house of parliament approved on Friday in its first reading a controversial bill that would force non-governmental organizations (NGOs) funded from abroad and engaged in political activity to declare themselves "foreign agents."
NGOs would also have to publish a biannual report of their activities and carry out an annual financial audit. Failure to comply with the law could result in four-year jail sentences and/or fines of up to 300,000 rubles ($9,200) for members.
A Kremlin source told RIA Novosti earlier this week that the law could be approved by both houses of parliament this month and enter into force this fall.
President Vladimir Putin said earlier this year that the United States was pumping millions of dollars into NGOs to try to influence the results of elections in Russia.

The bill was proposed by United Russia lawmaker Alexander Sidyakin, the author of recent legislation that sharply increased fines for violations of regulations governing protests.

"There is an entire network of NGOs whose financing is suspicious from the point of view of its provider," Sidyakin said in a statement on the United Russia website this week.
Sidyakin singled out the independent election monitor Golos as an example of what he said were attempts by the United States to "affect Russian politics," citing at a parliamentary committee hearing on Wednesday the "$2 million given to the organization in 2011 to dirty the Russian authorities."
Source: Russian Parliament Approves NGO 'Foreign Agents' Law
 

Daredevil

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Re: Russia enact law to regulate NGOs; terms NGOs with foreign funding 'foreign age

We need similar laws in India. Kudankulam nuclear power plant fiasco can be ascribed to the foreign funded NGOs. There are just too many foreign funded NGOs to my comfort.
 

pmaitra

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Russian parliament adopts NGO 'foreign agents' bill

13 July 2012 Last updated at 07:06 ET
BBC News



President Putin has accused Western powers of manipulating some Russian NGOs for political ends

Russia's lower house of parliament has adopted a controversial bill that labels foreign-funded non-governmental organisations as "foreign agents".

The upper house and President Vladimir Putin are now expected to turn the bill into law.

Approval in the largely pro-Putin Duma (lower house) was overwhelming.

Human rights activists have condemned the bill, seeing it as a tool to crush dissent. The Duma also voted to impose big fines for libel or slander.

Journalists from some leading Russian news outlets demonstrated outside the Duma against the new libel law, which envisages fines of up to 5m rubles (£99,000; $153,000) for offenders. They warned that it would bring extra pressure on the media.

The NGO bill requires all the relevant NGOs' materials to include the phrase "foreign agents". The term carries a Soviet-era negative taint in Russia, suggesting spying, correspondents say.

The Kremlin says the bill is needed to protect Russia from outside attempts to influence internal politics.

Some NGOs complain that they have to seek funding from abroad because they cannot get it from the Russian state. There are also fears that the bill could be used to restrict independent election monitoring.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said state funding would be increased for NGOs whose activity "as a whole is deemed useful and positive for our country".

Under the bill, foreign-funded NGOs involved in politics will also have to undergo financial audits and issue twice-yearly reports on their activities.

Failure to comply will be punishable by heavy fines or even a two-year prison sentence.

Source: BBC News - Russian parliament adopts NGO 'foreign agents' bill
 

spikey360

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If this law is legislated in India, a large number of NGOs and journalists will come under its ambit, and rightfully so. Every self respecting country must give its people the right to information to know which people are in the payrolls of foreign governments.
Speaking about Russia, it was about time Putin did something to curb this brazen American propaganda against Russia. During the election protests, some foreign funded Ngos went as far as asking people to join the protests.
 

Razor

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MPs mull over 'foreign agent' status for media

The majority United Russia party is planning to include media outlets funded from abroad into a register of organizations considered foreign agents.

The new status could be given to such media as early as autumn, when United Russia is going to consider amendments to the law On Mass Media, reports Izvestia daily.

Foreign-funded media often interfere in politics and function as mouthpiece for foreign propaganda, United Russia's deputies told the paper.

"Unlike non-governmental organizations, mass media calls itself the fourth branch of the government. Therefore, the society is entitled to know who sponsors certain representatives of this fourth branch and how sovereign they are," said MP Ilya Kostunov.

The lawmakers say though they are not going to tar all foreign-funded media with the same brush. For instance, if aid from abroad accounts for 10 per cent of the budget, "it is not necessary" to declare such media outlet "a foreign agent," United Russia Deputy Vladimir Burmatov said.

"But if the aid is over 50 per cent, it means foreign sponsors actually control editorial policy of the media outlet," he pointed out. In this case, the organization may get the status "foreign agent" status.

State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomaryov, a member of opposition Fair Russia party, believes the initiative will only make people find ways to evade the law.

"The authors of the idea will not achieve the result they aim at," he stated, adding that the move may set people against authorities as well as provoke animosity and conflicts.

On Friday, the State Duma approved in the final reading a bill labeling politically-active non-profit organizations funded from abroad as "foreign agents". The upper house – the Federation Council – is scheduled to consider the draft law on Wednesday.

Since the majority of media outlets are commercial organizations, they are not affected by the new law.
Source

Great move. The BBC should be on this list.
 

pmaitra

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MPs mull over 'foreign agent' status for media



Source

Great move. The BBC should be on this list.
+1

Lately in BBC, I have noticed too many a phrasal chicanery, such as, but not limited to, "on conditions of anonymity," "unconfirmed reports say," "unidentified sources said," "is believed to be."

Just too much speculation and subconscious targeting.
 

Razor

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+1

Lately in BBC, I have noticed too many a phrasal chicanery, such as, but not limited to, "on conditions of anonymity," "unconfirmed reports say," "unidentified sources said," "is believed to be."

Just too much speculation and subconscious targeting.
Yeah. It's all part of the BBCs talent in constructing sentences with subtle hints, that to the casual eye will make nations like Russia, PRC, India etc appear as "the bad guy". I have noticed them do this during the Russia-Georgia war, the Urumqi riots, when the Bhopal gas tragedy case was brought up a couple of years back etc. They are pretty good at distorting facts, to further their own agenda.
 

pmaitra

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Yeah. It's all part of the BBCs, talent in constructing sentences with subtle hints, that to the casual eye will make nations like Russia, PRC, India etc appear as "the bad guy". I have noticed them do this during the Russia-Georgia war, the Urumqi riots, when the Bhopal gas tragedy case was brought up a couple of years back etc. They are pretty good at distorting facts, to further their own agenda.
They never distort facts. BBC is one of the finest news agencies one could come across. I am saying this because, they always play it safe, smart, and shrewd. The problem is with the readers.

Can you comperhend or understnad this?

Of course you can! But why? What I wrote makes no sense! Well, as long as the first and last letters are fine, you can jumble around the ones in the middle, and the human mind takes care of the interpretation.

Similarly, if you write a sentence, such as, "protesters reported seeing scores of children's corpses riddled with bullet holes," proves nothing, but forces the mind to be sympathetic to a pathetic speculation.

It is psychological, and an essential part of journalism. BBC does that very well, but, when they overdo it, it is not difficult to catch. ;)
 

Razor

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They never distort facts. BBC is one of the finest news agencies one could come across. I am saying this because, they always play it safe, smart, and shrewd. The problem is with the readers.
Ok. I'm sorry, I did not mean: distort the facts. I meant something like: distort the truth, or rather distort the perception of the facts.

Similarly, if you write a sentence, such as, "protesters reported seeing scores of children's corpses riddled with bullet holes," proves nothing, but forces the mind to be sympathetic to a pathetic speculation.

It is psychological, and an essential part of journalism. BBC does that very well, but, when they overdo it, it is not difficult to catch. ;)
Exactly this is what I mean. They are altering how people perceive facts, to further their own agenda. I am pretty good at spotting this though, I have been doing this for years.

PS: It is a part of journalism, not an essential part of journalism.
 
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Razor

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Putin signs controversial 'foreign agents' bill

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a controversial status bill that brands externally-funded NGOs as "foreign agents". The document is to come into force in 120 days following its publication.

-The bill, previously approved by both chambers of the Russian parliament, will now force non-profit organizations receiving funding from abroad and engaging in political activity to register with the Justice Ministry as "foreign agents." Such organizations will also be required to file a financial report to officials every quarter.

The bill further instructs the Justice Ministry to prepare annual reports on the activities of those NGOs that have been recognized as foreign agents and present it to the Lower House, including a full breakdown of their financial operations.
The document stipulates that such spheres as science, art and culture, healthcare, sociology, charity and volunteering do not fit within the purview of political activity.

Amid growing concerns that media outlets funded from abroad could also fall within the scope of this law, the Kremlin recently reiterated that the fourth estate will not be subjected to the "foreign agents" status.

Religious organizations, state companies state-owned corporations and those NGOs founded by state companies aren't obliged to report on their foreign sponsorship and won't be branded foreign agents regardless of their revenue sources.
All the materials published or otherwise distributed, including through the internet, by those registered with the Justice Ministry should have the mark "distributed by foreign agents" on it.

Failure to comply with the law will be grounds for criminal prosecution.
Finally, it is done. :)

Read more at Source = RT News
 
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asianobserve

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No more opposition to Tsar Putin. Good for the World for it will mean that Russia will never progress beyond what it is now, perpetually mired in social strife (resulting in its inability to develop a mature and diversified economy) and always on the brink of implosion. Putin is the only one standing in the way of total collapse - interestingly, he's both the problem and the temporary solution).
 
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spikey360

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^^ For the ignorant and the prejudiced US :ka: let it be known that they have Foreign Agents Registration Act which has served as an inspiration for your favourite despot Tsar Putin. So much so that he went right ahead and copied the whole bill.
I understand if you haven't heard about it or feign ignorance about it. After all have you not to uphold the tradition of sycophancy of the country of Malaysia.
 

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