Russia tightens 'undesirable organizations' law

Life is becoming more and more difficult for Kremlin critics in Russia, with a number of laws passed in recent years criminalizing open criticism of Moscow's official policy.

The law on so-called "undesirable organizations" is one of those laws — and this has now been tightened. Lawmakers in the lower house of Russia's parliament, the State Duma, passed the amendments on the third and final reading of the bill on Tuesday. Once the draft legislation has been approved by the Federation Council and signed by President Vladimir Putin, it will come into force.

The law states that organizations would be considered undesirable in Russia if their activities "pose a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order, defense, or security of the state." The law prohibits such organizations from "conducting any financial transactions, disseminating information materials, including in the media or on the internet, establishing legal entities, and implementing programs."

Will all foreign organizations be banned in Russia?

Until now, the law only applied to non-governmental organizations, particularly oppositional institutions such as political foundations, human rights groups and environmental associations. Under the amended law, any foreign organization could be declared "undesirable" if its "founders or stakeholders are state bodies of a foreign country." It would no longer matter if the organization were founded or run by an individual, a limited-liability company, a registered association, a party or a state or government institution.

Any collaboration with such an organization is deemed criminal. Participating in the activities of an "undesirable organization" in Russia or abroad would initially be considered an administrative offense, punishable by a maximum fine of approximately €1,600 (about $1,740). Repeat offenders may be fined up to €5,300 or imprisoned for up to four years. Founding or leading "undesirable organizations" is punishable by up to six years in prison.

Prison possible for giving an interview

"Collaboration" covers the dissemination of quotes and links to texts and videos from an "undesirable organization," as well as participation in any of their public events. For example, anyone speaking to a broadcaster declared "undesirable" would be liable to prosecution. The law could also be applied to DW, which was forced to close its Moscow bureauin 2022.

Russian human rights lawyer Anastasia Burakova said she is convinced the law was deliberately made vague so authorities could ban any organizations they deem "not in line with Kremlin policy." Speaking with DW, she described it as a "rubber law," because it can be stretched and interpreted to fit any circumstance — it could even be applied to NATO, the Council of Europe, or the International Criminal Court.

"Anyone who files a complaint against the Russian state in the court could face a prison sentence of up to four years," said Burakova, explaining that they could be deemed to have participated in the activities of an "undesirable organization." 

'Hangs the Iron Curtain even lower'

When the State Duma voted on the bill at its first reading on June 11, the chairman, Vyacheslav Volodin, indicated the target of the expanded law: organizations founded within state structures in the United States, the United Kingdom and other European countries that "conduct activities directed against Russia."

One of the authors of the amended law, Duma member Vasily Piskarev, added that every possibility for foreign organizations to interfere in Russia's internal affairs should be eliminated.

"There are enough examples of organizations connected to government agencies of the United States or European countries directly harming Russia and carrying out subversive activities," he said.

For lawyer Burakova, it's clear "this hangs the Iron Curtain even lower.

"Russia is isolating itself even more from international institutions," she said.

200 NGOs already banned in Russia

Russian lawyer and human rights activist Valeria Vetoshkina told DW the amendments to the law make an already repressive law even more so. She said the government aims "to hold even more people criminally accountable" if they disagree with the country's official policies.

Burakova stressed that the law has also been applied to foreigners — particularly since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Independent media outlets have also been targeted.

Almost 200 foreign and international non-governmental organizations have been banned in Russia as "undesirable." Among them are the Latvia-based news portal Meduza, the Netherlands-registered Russian-language broadcaster Dozhd (TV Rain), the independent Internet portal The Moscow Times, German political foundations such as the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and international environmental organizations WWF and Greenpeace.

This article was originally written in German.