Human rights groups to challenge new law

Published on 22/07/2012 00:00

RUSSIA: President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a measure requiring non-governmental groups receiving funding from abroad and engaging in political activity to register as foreign agents.

NGOs argue the law is aimed at discrediting them and that ‘political activity’ could apply to a wide range of initiatives. Some prominent human rights groups are vowing to ignore or circumvent it.

Lev Ponomarev, head of For Human Rights, one of Russia’s oldest NGOs, told the Interfax news agency that his group will ignore the regulation and challenge the law in court.

Opposition groups claim that the president is trying to silence groups whose criticism of his human rights record has undercut his credibility and helped fuel seven months of protests against his rule, the longest since he came to power in 2000.