Russia expands list of undesirable NCOs, including Soros Foundation and Freedom House

The Russian Federation Council (parliament’s upper house) has expanded the list of foreign non-commercial organizations (NCOs) whose activities are undesirable in Russia. They include the Soros Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, Freedom House, the World Congress of Ukrainians and another eight organizations, a draft document received by TASS said.

The Russian "stop list" of foreign NCOs also mentions the National Endowment for Democracy foundation, the International Republican Institute, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Education for Democracy foundation, the East European Democratic Center, the Ukrainian World Coordinating Council and the Crimean field mission on human rights.
"The Federation Council suggests considering the patriotic stop-list, which comprises a number of foreign or international non-commercial organizations known for their anti-Russian orientation with an aim of possible application to them of the norms of applicable Russian legislation on recognition of their activities as undesirable," the Federation Council, which is to approve the stop-list, said in a draft resolution.

"It is noteworthy that when we looked through its final version, it turned out that out of 12 organizations mentioned in the list 7 are linked to the United States; two - to Poland and 3 - to Ukraine," Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Federation Council Committee for International Affairs, said.

Kosachev suggested forming a patriotic "stop-list" for foreign NCOs at the Federation Council plenary session on June 24.

A law on the so-called undesirable organizations adopted in spring implies that any foreign or international non-governmental organization, "which poses a threat to the foundations of Russia’s constitutional system, defense capability and state security, can be classified as undesirable." Russia’s chief prosecutor or his deputies has the right to announce an organization to be undesirable on prior consultation with the Russian Foreign Ministry. The list of "undesirable organizations" will be kept and published by the Russian Justice Ministry. "Undesirable organizations" are forbidden to create subsidiaries in the territory of Russia; disseminate their information materials; carry out transactions with funds or other property via credit or non-credit financial institutions. Participation in the activities of an "undesirable organization" will be classified as an administrative offence punishable by a fine. People who systemically break this regulation may face criminal charges.