By Madeline Schiesser
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe
MOSCOW, Russia – The Justice Ministry’s inspections of Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) this week have been compared to the Great Terror during the Soviet government’s campaigns in the 1920s-30s that closed down religious institutions and foreign organizations. It is estimated that at least 100 organizations from 25 regions across Russia have been inspected so far, and the inspections are expected to continue.
Authorities in Russia have claimed that the purpose of the checks is to ensure that the activities of the NGOs match those the organizations have declared. Justice Ministry stressed in a press release the legality of the Ministry’s actions and the importance of the checks in light of a November law requiring NGOs in Russia that receive forging aid to register as “foreign agents.”
While the Prosecutor General’s Office says that the inspections are scheduled, several groups have reported surprise inspections by the Justice Ministry, the fire-safety service, the Health Department, prosecutors, and tax police. It is possible as many as 2,000 organizations have been visited in the last month for the collection of registration and financial documents.
Lev Ponomaryov, director of For Human Rights, believes the raids are illegal, and would only be permissible “only if there is information about the organization violating existing laws and no grounds for [such accusations] were presented to us.”
Memorial, one of Russia’s oldest and most respected rights groups, which was required to submit over 600 documents, called the audits “worrying and unprecedented.” Amnesty International and the movement For Human Rights say that officials requested documents that should already be on file with the government. The inspections have slowed the effectiveness of some top rights watchdog groups in Russia, and some activists fear that audits will eventually force them out of the country.
The term “foreign agent” which the law passed in November requires NGOs receiving foreign funding to identify themselves as, has its roots in the Stalin Era, when it was used to discredit enemies of the state. Many NGOs, including Amnesty International, believe the label will be used to “to harass and seek closure of those [organizations] highlighting abuses and critical of the government.” In spite of the law, all NGOs have refused to register as “foreign agents.” It is estimated that in 2011, Russian NGOs received about $613 million (19 billion rubles) in foreign funding.
A wide variety of organizations have been raided by the Justice Ministry and others, including women’s rights groups, environmental advocates, and Roman Catholic parishes. A number of rights groups known for their criticism of the government have also meet with various inspectors. These groups include: Transparency International, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International, the movement For Human Rights, the Public Verdict Foundation, the Agency for Social Information, Memorial, Agora, the Moscow Helsinki Group, and two German NGOs: the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), which caused backlash in Berlin.
Analyst Dmitry Oreshkin say the raids are an attempt by Putin’s (who described the ongoing inspections as “routine measures”) government to regain clout.
“It reflects the intense nervousness of authorities over the fact that their popularity is falling, that Putin’s popularity is falling, that United Russia’s popularity is falling,” says Mark Urnov, head of the Political Behavior Department at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics. “Authorities are very scared of all organized protests and groups that gather information to this effect, on issues such as corruption, for instance. This is why these organizations are being targeted. This is the behavior of a regime that is becoming increasingly insecure.”
“The State Duma has been passing laws that contradict the spirit of the constitution, the spirit of the law,” said Lev Ponomaryov, emphasizing the tactics that the government has taken to boost its power. “The new law on high treason, in particular, has transformed the legal system. It is a Soviet-style law. What is now happening with nongovernmental organizations is a continuation of this. Hundreds of nongovernmental organizations are being subjected to unlawful actions by the Prosecutor-General’s Office.”
For further information, please see:
The Moscow Times – NGO Checks ‘Unprecedented’ in Post-Soviet Russia – 29 March 2013
RFE/RL – Russian Rights Council Members Criticize ‘Unprecedented’ NGO Searches – 28 March 2013
BBC News – Fears for NGOs in Russia as Tax Raids Multiply – 27 March 2013
RFE/RL – Raids On NGOs In Russia Suggest ‘Increasingly Insecure’ Kremlin – 26 March 2013
RFE/RL – Russian NGOs Subjected To Continuing Searches – 25 March 2013
RT – Amnesty International Probe Lawful, Pre-Scheduled – Ministry – 25 March 2013
