NGOs blacklisted under the foreign agent law are turning down foreign funding, leading to a sharp drop in their numbers this year, President Vladimir Putin said Monday.
The 2012 foreign agent law requires non-governmental organizations that receive foreign funding to register as “foreign agents.” Critics say the law is a part of a broader effort to silence groups critical of the Kremlin's human rights record.
“Their number has declined from 165 to 89. That’s just 0.39 percent of all NGOs registered in Russia,” Putin was cited by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency as saying at the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights.
Four times fewer non-profits were blacklisted in 2017 than the previous year, either because the “foreign agent” NGOs declined to engage in political activities or gave up foreign funding, he said.
“The NGOs are embarking on the second path fairly actively,” Putin said, pointing out that groundwork has been laid for them to receive state funding instead of utilizing funding from abroad.
Annual presidential grants for NGOs alone have grown by 22 billion rubles over the past 5 years, a sevenfold annual increase, he added.
The foreign agent law has faced criticism in the past for its imprecise phrasing, forcing many of the “foreign agents” grappling with the stigma of the Soviet-era styled label to either shut down or reshuffle operations.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
