MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/. Delegates from the State Duma Commission on Investigation into Foreign Interference in Russia's Internal Affairs have introduced a package of bills aiming to ban participation in the activities of foreign non-governmental organizations not listed in the approved registry, Vasily Piskarev, chairman of the Duma security and anti-corruption committee, said on Wednesday.
"Amendments were introduced jointly with our colleagues in the commission on counteracting interference, the delegates of all factions. <…> It is obvious that a foreign NGO which intentionally refuses to register its branch in the Justice Ministry, that is, to act in accordance with our country’s legislation, cannot pursue any noble purpose," the commission’s Telegram channel quoted Piskarev as saying. According to the initiative, private individuals and legal entities can participate in the activities of a foreign or international non-commercial NGO on Russian soil only from the date of its entry in the registry of branches and subsidiaries of international organizations and foreign NGOs.
It is suggested to establish administrative fines for participating in the operations of unlisted foreign NGOs. They may be up to 5,000 rubles (about $60) for private individuals, up to 50,000 rubles (over $600) for officials and up to 100,000 rubles (over $1,200) for legal entities. The amendments also provide for criminal liability for repeat offenses.
"Additionally, we propose new grounds for refusing to register a structural unit of a foreign NGO. The Justice Ministry will turn it down if a branch or a subsidiary of a foreign NGO registered earlier were excluded from the registry within three years for breaking the law," Piskarev noted. According to him, such norms allow to "curb continued illegal activity through opening new branches of an organization that has already discredited itself."