Russian Duma passes ‘foreign agent’ NGO bill

MOSCOW: Russia’s lower house of Parliament gave initial backing yesterday to a contentious bill forcing internationally-funded NGOs to carry a “foreign agent” tag, a move expected to stigmatize scores of groups.
Pushed through by the ruling United Russia party, the bill was supported by 323 State Duma deputies in the first of three required readings. Four voted against it and one abstained.
Under the wide-ranging bill, all Russian NGOs that are funded from abroad and ruled to be involved in politics, or acting in the interests of foreign states and other international donors, will have to carry a “foreign agent” tag and submit to more rigorous checks by the authorities.
A breach of the law would be punishable by hefty fines or jail time.
Russian officials say the bill is aimed at preventing foreign states from influencing Russia’s domestic politics and emulates US legislation on foreign-funded NGOs.
Critics say the bill is a part of a broad crackdown on the opposition that followed unprecedented winter protests against strongman Vladimir Putin as well as a throwback to Stalin’s time, when nearly everyone deemed to be in contact with foreign nationals was branded a spy and a foreign agent.