Russian undesirable organizations law
Russian law during ruling of Vladimir Putin
The Russian undesirable organizations law (officially Federal Law of 23 May 2015 N 129-FZ "On amendments of some legislative acts of the Russian Federation") is a law that was signed by President Vladimir Putin on 23 May 2015 as a follow-up to the 2012 Russian foreign agent law and Dima Yakovlev Law. Under the law, Russian prosecutors are able to target foreign groups which they deem to present "a threat to the foundation of the constitutional order of the Russian Federation, the defense capability of the country or the security of the state."
The law gives prosecutors the power to declare foreign and international organizations "undesirable" in Russia and shut them down. Organizations are subject to heavy fines, while individuals affiliated with them can receive lengthy prison sentences if they fail to dissolve when given notice to do so. These punishments also apply to Russians who maintain ties to them. Supporters of the law claim that this law is vital for the preservation of national security, but critics say that the law is unclear in many areas and can be used to silence dissent. Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian government has escalated the use of both the foreign agent and undesirable organizations laws to block the activities of the media, human rights and civil society organisations, most of whom are based in the western world.
History
The proponents revealed that an initial idea of the law was to expand the action of the "foreign agent law" onto foreign noncommercial organizations as well, but after the introduction of economic sanctions against Russia they decided to incorporate economic aspects in the new law as well.
On 23 July 2024 the State Duma adopted a law according to which any organizations can be recognized as undesirable in Russia if their founders or participants are foreign government agencies, in addition to foreign NGOs.
Implications for NGOs
These organisations are forbidden from holding public events and from possessing or distributing promotional materials, including via mass media. All Russian banks and financial institutions are forbidden from cooperating with them and are required to inform Russia's financial watchdog agency about all those that attempt to use them.
The public source identifies “Russian undesirable organizations law” as russian law during ruling of Vladimir Putin. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Russian, undesirable and organizations.
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