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Medvedev wants to change NGO law

Dmitrii Medvedev (kremlin.ru)

Russia’s controversial laws on NGOs could be amended, President Dmitry Medvedev said at his first meeting with his Human Right Council.

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The current law on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) was signed by then-President Vladimir Putin in 2006, a law that requires NGOs to register themselves to the state. The law also limits the NGOs possible funding, especially from foreign granters and cooperation partners.

- I think you have lots of questions about the legislation (about NGOs). It is not ideal and many things can be changed in it, Medvedev told the council, according to mosnews.com

Medvedev also said: … - a mass of cases where activities of NGOs have been restricted without sufficient reason.

He did not give further details on what changes could be made to the law regulating the activities of the NGOs.

In January President Medvedev ordered his administration to rework a controversial treason bill submitted by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s cabinet, as reported by BarentsObserver.com. That bill would expand the definition of treason and add NGOs to the list of banned recipients of state secrets, a move Russian NGOs feared could be used to step up pressure on their organizations.

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.