BarentsObserver.com reported in January that President Medvedev has ordered his administration to rework a controversial treason bill submitted by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s cabinet. Putin’s suggested legislation was submitted to the State Duma in December 2008. After the text become public, Russian non-governmental organizations said they feared that the new legislation could be used to step up pressure on their organizations.
Medvedev then took note of the public criticism of the bill and ordered a review to prevent the measure from curtailing human rights.
The final text to the bill was submitted by Medvedev last Wednesday reports RIA Novosti. The bill simplifies and registration procedures for NGOs.
Medvedev said the number of audits would be reduced for non-profit organizations to once every three years. The list of documents authorities are allowed to ask for checks will be restricted, and registration procedures will be simplified, he said to RIA Novosti.
When Vladimir Putin was president, officials often vilified these groups as fronts for foreign intelligence agencies or terrorist groups, especially after the so-called colored revolutions, in which pro-democracy groups — some backed by Western donors — helped topple Kremlin-friendly governments in neighboring countries, The New York Times wrote after Medvedev submitted his proposals for change in the text to the State Duma.
Interviewed by The New York Times, author of the Human Right Watch report Matthew Schaaf said: “It seems that President Medvedev is prepared to work on strengthening civil society and guarantees of basic rights and freedoms in Russia.” But Mr. Scaaf also said “the legislation concerns only part of the problems that nongovernmental organizations face.”
In April this year BarentsObserver.com wrote about the meeting President Dmitri Medvedev has with Russia’s Human Right Council. He then said “…. a mass of cases where activities of NGOs have been restricted without sufficient reason.”
The Barents cooperation, including Norway, Russia, Sweden and Finland in the north, is on the non-official level to a great extent based on the cooperation between different NGOs in the four member countries.
In addition to human right groups, also environmental groups have faced hard times after Vladimir Putin’s NGO-legislations were adopted. In St. Petersburg, the environmental group Bellona has spent much time on “proving the destination of every kopek they have spent in on their programme activities,” according to their website.
Head of the Bellona office, Aleksandr Nikitin says in a comment to Medvedev’s proposed amendments to the law: “It is entirely possible that in the heat of (financial) crisis public opinion and even support are necessary to Medvedev, but it is not yet clear for what, “said Nikitin.
“Maybe it will become necessary to change something in the government and set forth someone against Putin’s PR. On the other hand, it might be necessary to calm the people with the help of the Presidential Council in defence of Putin’s government,” said Nikitin, according to Bellona’s website.
