We, the undersigned members of the Civic Solidarity Platform, urgently call on the Russian Authorities to put an immediate end to the on-going harassment and intimidation of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Russia.
On July 10, a committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation approved amendments proposed by President Putin to draft legislation that would require Russian NGOs that receive funding from abroad and engage in “political activities” to register as “Foreign Agents.”
On July 6, the State Duma of the Russian Federation passed in the first reading a package of amendments to existing legislation that would allow a broad spectrum of Russian NGOs to be classified as “Foreign Agents.”
International and Kazakhstani experts representing the NGO coalition Civic Solidarity monitored the trial of oil works from Zhanaozen who were accused of organizing and participating in mass riots on December 16, 2011. Monitors were present throughout the trial and have preliminarily concluded that:
