MOSCOW, November 30. /TASS/. Russia’s Prosecutor-General’s Office has included two foreign organizations - the Open Society Foundations and the OSI Assistance Foundation - to the list of undesirable NGOs, the office’s spokesperson said on Monday.
"Following the results of studying the materials, the Prosecutor-General’s Office of the Russian Federation decided to consider as undesirable the activity of foreign NGOs on Russia’s territory, namely the Open Society Foundations and the OSI Assistance Foundation," Marina Gridneva said.
The prosecutors have found that the activity of these organizations "poses a threat to the foundations of Russia’s constitutional system and security of the state," she said.
The so-called patriotic "stop list" was approved by Russia’s upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, on July 8. The Prosecutor General’s Office carries out checks to find whether these NGOs fall within the purview of Russia’s law on undesirable organizations.
The information on Monday’s decision has been sent to the Russian Justice Ministry to include the above mentioned organizations to the list of foreign and international non-governmental organizations banned in Russia.
The law on the undesirable organizations adopted this spring implies that any foreign or international non-governmental organization, "which poses a threat to the foundations of Russia’s constitutional system, defense capability and state security, can be classified as undesirable."
Russia’s Prosecutor General or his deputies can announce that an organization is undesirable on prior consultation with the Russian Foreign Ministry. The decision can be canceled in the same order. Participation in the activities of an "undesirable organization" will be classified as an administrative offence punishable by a fine. Those who systemically violate this regulation may face criminal charges.