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| Vladimir Putin's crackdown on NGOs is return to rule by fear | Vladimir Putin's crackdown on NGOs is return to rule by fear |
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| The unprecedented sweep of civil society groups in Russia shows that Vladimir Putin has shifted to ruling openly by the politics of fear. The powerful president has yet to recover from the protests that swept Russia around his return to the Kremlin last year. Protesters have been arrested, organisers charged, Pussy Riot jailed, and now non-governmental organisations targeted as potential agents of the west. | The unprecedented sweep of civil society groups in Russia shows that Vladimir Putin has shifted to ruling openly by the politics of fear. The powerful president has yet to recover from the protests that swept Russia around his return to the Kremlin last year. Protesters have been arrested, organisers charged, Pussy Riot jailed, and now non-governmental organisations targeted as potential agents of the west. |
| The sweeps were conducted under a controversial law adopted last year, requiring all NGOs who receive foreign funding to register as "foreign agents". In Russian, the term conjures images of Soviet-era propaganda beseeching citizens to avoid contact with all foreigners. The idea that all foreigners are spies has once again been revived. It began when Putin blamed the protests on Russia's traditional external enemy, the United States. | The sweeps were conducted under a controversial law adopted last year, requiring all NGOs who receive foreign funding to register as "foreign agents". In Russian, the term conjures images of Soviet-era propaganda beseeching citizens to avoid contact with all foreigners. The idea that all foreigners are spies has once again been revived. It began when Putin blamed the protests on Russia's traditional external enemy, the United States. |
| To many, the raids – in which officials from the prosecutor's office, tax inspectorate and ministry of justice combed through registration and financial documents – came as a surprise. Inside Russia's human rights community it was expected, after Putin suddenly recalled the law during a meeting with officers from his feared security services last month. "It was a classic signal," said Rachel Denber of Human Rights Watch, whose Moscow office was raided on Wednesday. | To many, the raids – in which officials from the prosecutor's office, tax inspectorate and ministry of justice combed through registration and financial documents – came as a surprise. Inside Russia's human rights community it was expected, after Putin suddenly recalled the law during a meeting with officers from his feared security services last month. "It was a classic signal," said Rachel Denber of Human Rights Watch, whose Moscow office was raided on Wednesday. |
| The net has been cast wide. It is not only the traditional groups of which the Kremlin has long voiced suspicion that have been targeted. Caught up in the raids are NGOs across Russia, including a Catholic church in the southern region of Rostov, a young environmentalist group called Akva in the port city of Novorossiysk, an Aids charity in the region of Bashkortostan. Lest they forget, these groups now know they are being watched. | The net has been cast wide. It is not only the traditional groups of which the Kremlin has long voiced suspicion that have been targeted. Caught up in the raids are NGOs across Russia, including a Catholic church in the southern region of Rostov, a young environmentalist group called Akva in the port city of Novorossiysk, an Aids charity in the region of Bashkortostan. Lest they forget, these groups now know they are being watched. |
| In a country plagued by a corrupt police force, a politicised justice system, and an often indifferent government, NGOs play a key role. Lev Ponomarev, the 71-year-old head of For Human Rights, which was raided on Monday, calls his group a "last resort" for those seeking justice. He has advised thousands. | In a country plagued by a corrupt police force, a politicised justice system, and an often indifferent government, NGOs play a key role. Lev Ponomarev, the 71-year-old head of For Human Rights, which was raided on Monday, calls his group a "last resort" for those seeking justice. He has advised thousands. |
| Ponomarev has refused to register under the law, arguing that he would be unable to work with the tag in a country where the Soviet past is still alive. Officials and regular citizens alike would turn away, he said. The campaign against NGOs has only made it more problematic to receive funding inside Russia. | Ponomarev has refused to register under the law, arguing that he would be unable to work with the tag in a country where the Soviet past is still alive. Officials and regular citizens alike would turn away, he said. The campaign against NGOs has only made it more problematic to receive funding inside Russia. |
| The current checks have come as a warning, many in Russia's human rights community said. Down the line, refusal to register under the law could lead closures, fines, and a two-year jail sentence. What worries many more are the laws waiting in the wings, particularly a new law signed by Putin late last year that vastly expands the definition of treason to include any Russian believed to pass state secrets to any foreign organisation. | The current checks have come as a warning, many in Russia's human rights community said. Down the line, refusal to register under the law could lead closures, fines, and a two-year jail sentence. What worries many more are the laws waiting in the wings, particularly a new law signed by Putin late last year that vastly expands the definition of treason to include any Russian believed to pass state secrets to any foreign organisation. |
| Like the law against NGOs, it has lain dormant for months. "They can call it up at any moment," said Ponomarev. "Then they will really jail us for being foreign agents." The law carries from four to twenty years in prison. | Like the law against NGOs, it has lain dormant for months. "They can call it up at any moment," said Ponomarev. "Then they will really jail us for being foreign agents." The law carries from four to twenty years in prison. |
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