On 6 July activists of the YABLOKO party held a series
of one-person pickets protesting against the amendments giving
a status of a foreign agent to a number of Russian non-profit
organisations. The action was held outside the main entrance
to the State Duma which plans to pass the amendments at first
reading.
YABLOKO activists including Sergei Mitrokhin, party leader,
Galina Mikhalyova, YABLOKO Bureau member, and Kirill Gontcharov,
leader of Youth YABLOKO, picketed the State Duma entrance
in turn with a banner The amendments to the law on non-profit
organisations are way to a fascist state.
The goal of this law is to humbling the civil society and
pouring mud at it calling it in such a way [foreign agents],
rather than tightening the screws that have already been tightened
but, said party leader Sergei Mitrokhin. He also added that
the initiatives represented a return to the methods of a totalitarian
state of the past century and announced that YABLOKO would
stand against introduction of such alterations into the law.
Kirill Gontcharov
If such a language is imposed on us, than we can use it and
call President Putin, Prime Minister Medvedev, Finance Minister
Siluanov and other country top officials foreign agents adopting
their decisions in the interests of foreign states, Mitrokhin
noted. Such decisions include investment of Russian reserve
funds into US securities, giving low-interest credits to the
states with offshore Russian businesses and restricting the
rise of tobacco excise duties in the interests of foreign
tobacco companies.
Sergei Mitrokhin also said that a similar law adopted in the
US in the 1930s and referred to by the authors of the amendments
into the Russian law constitutes a historic junk already.
He also noted that American intellectuals labeled this law
and its author, Senator McCarthy, a shameful page in their
countrys history.
The targets of the law are obvious they are organisations
critisising Putins regime and the police and virtually fascist
state which has been formed by present, Galina Mikhalyova
said.
Galina Mikhalyova
The police did not interfere with the action although a police
colonel asked Sergei Mitrokhin to move aside as more than
ten TV cameras and journalists were blocking the way for
pedestrians. According to the police colonel, this could
be create grounds for administrative liability in accordance
with the new law on rallies. One can easily get a RUR 30,000
fine for this now, noted Sergei Mitrokhin.
Today the State Duma will consider at first reading the draft
law giving a status of foreign agents to non-profit organisations
dealing with politics and financed from abroad. The foreign
agent status means special accounting and frequent audits.
According to the proposed amendments, provision of unreliable
information will entail imposing of fines. Moreover, the Ministry
of Justice will get a right to conduct additional audits on
citizens requests and publications in the press.
A number of prominent public figures spoke against the law
at the round table at the State Duma on July 5. Earlier the
law had been declined by the Public Chamber.
More photographs
See also:
Human
Rights
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