Samenvatting

The aim of this thesis is to explore the effects of the Foreign Agents Law on nongovernmental
organizations (further mentioned as NGOs) operating in Russia, after its implementation by the State Duma in November of 2012. The Foreign Agents Law amends existing NGO legislation and is the latest in a series of laws regulating and restricting NGO activity in Russia. The Law requires all NGOs that are involved in any form of political activity and sponsored by any form of foreign funding, to register as “an NGO performing the functions of a foreign agent”, equivalent to the term spy, a measure seeking to shape Russia’s civil society (Goswami, 2013; Sysoev, 2014A).
Upon analyzing the Law, it becomes clear that NGOs that wish to engage in public debate
related to political issues are obligated to register under the Law (International Commission of Jurists, 2014). Nevertheless, the term political activity is vaguely described, which ensures that it becomes difficult to determine if an organization should register under the Law (International Commission of Jurists, 2014). However, noncompliance with the registration requirement leads to harsh sanctions. Therefore, the Law has affected a large scope of NGOs involved in a variety of disciplines. The consequences of the violation of the Law differ; nevertheless, the most notable sanctions include a money fine, jail time for the head of the organization or suspension of activities.
The limitations that are implemented by The Foreign Agents Law also ensure that NGOs
affected by the Law are unable to enjoy some fundamental human rights. The most
notable limitation lies on freedom of expression, since NGOs are restricted from
expressing their opinion about political issues in any shape or form. Moreover, the Law is
in violation of a set of standards and conventions set up by The Council of Europe, which
ensure that organizations are able to enjoy the rights that belong to them.
Although officially only one NGO has registered as a foreign agent and only another has
been side-lined by the Law, the Law influences many more organizations than official
statistics show (Tumanov, 2014). The aim of the Law is to ensure that NGOs do not
engage in political activities or receive foreign funding, and it has so far served its
purpose. Even though most NGOs have not become registered, the fear of sanctions
ensures that organizations remain aloof from both (Tumanov, 2014).