The concept of “third parties” will appear in the law on “foreign agents”

The Russian authorities are planning to add the category of “third parties” to the legislation on foreign agents, TASS reports with reference to Deputy Minister of Justice Oleg Svyridenko.

According to the official, the new category will concern persons who are not recognized as “foreign agents” and are not affiliated with them. It will be able to include people who “willy-nilly exert a certain influence” on the so-called “foreign agents” and help them violate the law on control over the activities of “foreign agents”. For this, “third parties” will be punished with fines.

The relevant initiative has already been supported by State Duma deputies, added Svyridenko.

At the end of April, the State Duma of Russia introduced a package of amendments on the control of the activities of “foreign agents”, proposing to introduce fines of up to 300 thousand rubles for failure to comply with the instructions of the Ministry of Justice of Russia to eliminate violations of the law on “foreign agents”. The bill also provides for fines of up to 50,000 rubles for helping “foreign agents” circumvent prohibitions. In particular, the document refers to intermediaries, individuals and legal entities. How it will be regulated and what is considered assistance is not explained.

The amendments will also oblige organizations of all forms of ownership “to take into account the restrictions associated with the status of a foreign agent.” Those who help “foreign agents” will be issued a warning and the demand will correct the situation. Also, the draft law assumes that NGOs-“foreign agents” will not be able to receive property support from the state.

“Direct and indirect support of foreign agents by the state contradicts the national interests of Russia and should be prohibited,” the explanatory note says. In particular, this may harm the centers of assistance to victims of domestic violence, which are often recognized as “foreign agents” – they receive state aid in the form of subsidized or free rent of premises for shelters for women with children.

• Legislation on “foreign agents” in Russia appeared in 2012. The law allowed the Ministry of Justice to recognize non-profit organizations as “foreign agents” if they receive funding from abroad and engage in “political activity”. The criteria by which such activity is determined are not clearly defined in the law, which allows the authorities to pursue organizations working in the fields of education, culture, health care, ecology, and protection of human rights.
• According to “Vyorstka”, criminal cases have been opened against 18% of all “foreign agents” in Russia. The most popular article for the persecuted is about the spread of so-called fakes about the actions of the Russian army. The Russian authorities consider any statements different from the official ones declared by the Ministry of Defense to be “fakes”.
• From December 1, 2022, anyone who is under “foreign influence” can be declared a foreign agent.