Russian Duma proposal to create internet censorship

[Michele A Berdy]

Elena, it's been awhile since I was in an NGO in Russia, so I have forgotten
some of the rules (and then they have changed), but it is already quite
heavily regulated. Major donors, like USAID,  sign a governmental agreement
and work under its framework. What an NGO, foreign or otherwise, can do is
regulated. As I recall, lobbying is forbidden.  Many NGOs work with
ministries and need approval before carrying out activities. After the
change in legislation a couple of years ago, the rules were tightened. NGOs
have to provide detailed work plans in advance and detailed reports
afterwards. Accounting is down to the last kopek and must show all sources
of financing. Some sites of Russian NGOs that get foreign funding list the
donors, but I don't think that is required by law. However, they are
required by law to open their books to literally anyone who asks and show
all funding sources in their reports. At this point, I think most Russian
organizations - NGO or otherwise - apply for grants, stating what they want
to do and providing budgets. So the question is - given how open these NGOs
are to review and how closely monitored they already are, why do they need
to proclaim that they are "foreign agents"? How will that increase
transparency? That information is already provided by the NGOs by  law. And
in the case of NGOs that apply for grants, they do not believe that they are
acting on behalf of a foreign organization, but rather that the foreign
donor has given them funds to do a work plan that they developed.

Hope that helps.

 

 

From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
[mailto:SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU] On Behalf Of Elena Gapova
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2012 6:27 AM
To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Russian Duma proposal to create internet censorship

 

Comparing the US to Russia in this particular issue made me think that there
are important differences. While US is a major power which sponsors all
kinds of projects all over the world, and American humanitarian projects are
relatively rarely sponsored by foreign foundations, Russia is a different
case entirely. It is more on the receiving end, with hundreds of foreign and
international foundations sponsoring their projects inside Russia. 

 

While I am not sure how this issue may be regulated in a democratic way (and
it must be),  I cannot see how this can not be a concern for (any) national
government (I do not know if the bill under discussion can do the job in an
appropriate manner).

e.g.

2012/7/11 Alina Israeli <aisrael at american.edu>

Here is the 1938 law, Putin's law is modeled after:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Agents_Registration_Act

 

The recipients of foreign grants, such as grants from Aga Khan foundation
http://www.akdn.org/akf_projects.asp do not have to register as foreign
agents. Many of my non-Slavists colleagues received grants from Canada,
Latin America etc. and they did not have to register as foreign agents
either, nor did the university.

 

On the other hand, lobbying on behalf of a foreign country requires
registration as "agents of a foreign principal". What is prohibited is
funding political campaigns with foreign money.

 

If you look at the long list of foundations
http://www.fundsforngos.org/category/foundation-funds-for-ngos/ (not all of
them American, although many are), they fund health issues, human rights
issues, education in African, Asia as well as close to home and that does
not make them US agents or British agents nor does it make the recipients
foreign agents neither in reality nor by law. 


 

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