Hundreds of inspections conducted against NGOs throughout the country to paralyse human rights work

RUSSIAN FEDERATION:Hundreds of inspections conducted against NGOs throughout the country toparalyse human rights work

Paris-Geneva, March 25,2013. While a resolution was adopted last week by the UN Human RightsCouncil recalling that “domestic law andadministrative provisions […] should facilitate the work of human rightsdefenders, including by avoiding any criminalization, stigmatization,impediments, obstructions or restrictions thereof contrary to internationalhuman rights law”, hundreds of NGOs are being subjected to inspections byGovernment officials across the Russian Federation. This follows the adoptionin 2012 of several laws contradicting the right to freedom of association,peaceful assembly and expression. The Observatory for the Protection of HumanRights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for HumanRights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), denounces thiscrackdown, which appears to merely aim at intimidating discommoding vocalRussian human rights groups. This campaign also attempts to tarnish the imageof NGOs in the public eye.

Since the end of February and until today, dozens ofinspections of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been launched in atleast 13 regions of the Russian Federation, including Krasnodar, Moscow,Orenburg, Penza, Perm and Altai territories, St. Petersburg, Primorsky, Saratovand Rostov provinces. In St. Petersburg, the Spokesperson for the Office of theProsecutor declared on March 19, 2013 that over the month some 5,000inspections would be conducted to check compliance with the laws on terrorism,extremism as well as other offences. After this date, dozens of NGOs wereinspected in St. Petersburg, including LGBT, human rights and environmentalNGOs.

Across the country, these operations have beenconducted by prosecutors, together with, in some cases, officials from theMinistry of Justice, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal SecurityService (FSB), the Ministry of Emergencies, the Federal Service for Supervisionof Protection of Consumer Rights and Human Well-Being, the Tax Inspectorate,the Centre E, a unit specialised in anti-extremism, and even the fire service.

According to the information received, inspectionshave particularly targeted groups that supposedly receive foreign funding andconduct monitoring or advocacy work. The scope of the inspections appears to befar-ranging, though inspectors have particularly insisted on the issue offunding. The massive character as well as methods used during inspectionsdisproportionately interfere with the right to freedom of association: thenumber of inspections is massive, most inspections are unannounced, NGOs havebeen given short deadlines to provide a huge amount of documents and vague andnon-exhaustive lists of requirements. In the case of prominent NGO Human RightsCentre “Memorial”, a pro-government TV crew was informed and present during theinspection. The news report entitled “Memorial hides its income from theProsecutor's Office” was broadcast the same day before the end of theinspection, in flagrant violation of the presumption of innocence.

“Information on NGOs' sources of funding arepublic. They are posted on their websites and regularly reported to relevantagencies in compliance with national laws. All programmes are also regularlyaudited by donors. This massive crackdown and media campaign amounts to alarge-scale defamation and attempts to hamper the legitimate and necessaryactivities of NGOs”, said Souhayr Belhassen, FIDH President.

“In Russia, we are witnessing a spreading of laws and practices thattarget human rights NGOS under the pretext of their international connections,and particularly of foreign financial support. The right of NGOs to access funding is a universal right that is protected under theright to freedom of association. It has nothing to do with politics”, said Gerald Staberock, OMCT Secretary General.

While States have a legitimate right to impose regulationsand ensure security and public order, they should not instrumentaliselegitimate concerns to impose unnecessary restrictions targeting NGOs. Underinternational law, States have an obligation tosupport, directly or indirectly, the funding of civil society activities, inparticular by creating a conducive environment, without interfering in theirindependence. The Russian authorities should stop creating and maintaining an amalgam betweendefenders and criminals.

Therefore the Observatory is calling for an end ofthis campaign of State-sponsored harassment as well as therepeal of recently adopted laws that contain provisions inconsistent withRussia’s international and constitutional commitments on human rights.

The Observatory for the Protection of Human RightsDefenders has recently released a comprehensive study on restrictions on humanrights defenders’ access to funding, which demonstrates how NGOs’ access tofunding, in particular foreign funding, is increasingly being hindered bygovernments around the world.

The Report is available here.