PRESS RELEASE

 

Civil society in danger: 77 NGOs suspended in Russia

 

20 October 2006 - CIVICUS expressed serious concern that 77 foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in Russia have been forced to suspend their activities, after the government rejected their registration applications yesterday.

 

“We are deeply concerned by the government’s refusal to register these NGOs,” said CIVICUS Secretary General, Kumi Naidoo, who chaired a meeting of 14 international NGOs with President Vladimir Putin prior to the G8 Summit. “This clearly contradicts President Putin’s guarantee to civil society that the new NGO law would not be used to silence critical NGOs. This repression of civil society voices should stop – and it should stop now.”

 

Under a controversial NGO law adopted earlier this year, criticised by CIVICUS and other local and international groups, all foreign NGOs in Russia were supposed to re-register by last Wednesday. According to reports, 185 organisations submitted registration applications to the Justice Ministry's Federal Registration Service, but only 108 were granted registration. Seventy-seven reportedly remain under review, including many critical of the government such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

 

Government officials reportedly claim those NGOs which were denied registration failed to submit their applications on time, or completed them incorrectly. Many international and local NGOs, however, fear that the new NGO law is being used to crack down on critics.

 

In a statement issued earlier this year, CIVICUS noted with concern that the new NGO law gives the authorities excessive power to deny registration to those groups whose missions threaten the “sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity, national unity, unique character, cultural heritage and national interests” of Russia. “These vague provisions,” wrote CIVICUS, “are left dangerously open to the discretion of individual officials and, in addition, do not meet standards set out by the European Convention on Human Rights” regarding the right to associate.

 

The rejection of NGO registrations follows in the wake of the recent disturbing closure of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society, a vocal human rights organisation, and the murder of critical journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

 

“The past couple of weeks in Russia have seen an onslaught of violations of the freedoms of expression and association,” said Naidoo. “We appeal to the Russian government to act decisively to ensure these organisations do not remain in limbo, and are granted registration without further delay. As a regional leader, Russia must set the example of respect for civil society’s freedoms."

 

For more information, please contact CIVICUS at cswatch@civicus.org or by telephone at +27 11 833 5959 ext. 127/126; or mobile, +27 722363260 or +27 824036040. For details on CIVICUS, visit www.civicus.org or www.civilsocietywatch.org.