Difference between revisions of "Solidarity with the persecuted groups in Russia"

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Since some time progressive Russian groups and activists are under oppression by the state's authorities<ref name="linksnet">http://www.linksnet.de/de/artikel/31300 as of May 25, 2014</ref>. With the "foreign agent" and "extremism"<ref name="DW">http://www.dw.de/russland-extremismusgesetze-weiter-versch%C3%A4rft/a-2680190-1 as of May 30, 2014</ref> laws instruments have been created to suppress and eliminate organizations and movements being critical to the state, but also any others bothering the political powers<ref>http://www.handelsblatt.com/meinung/gastbeitraege/nina-chrustschowa-putins-anti-extremismus-gesetz/7552500-2.html as of May 30, 2014</ref><ref name="DW" /><ref>http://www.sova-center.ru/en/misuse/ as of June 13, 2014</ref><ref>http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2012-07/russland-ngo-gesetz-2 as of June 26, 2014</ref>. In this context legal organizations de facto get prohibited if they are classified "foreign agents", because under these circumstances the continuation of work is almost impossible. With vague accusations of extremism even individuals who made critical statements were threatened with perennial imprisonment and virtually vanished into thin air. Environmental and human rights groups as well as other progressive organizations shall be stigmatized spies<ref name="zeit-gesetzt">http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2012-07/russland-gesetz-agenten as of June 26, 2014</ref> and discredited publicly<ref name="linksnet" />.
 
Since some time progressive Russian groups and activists are under oppression by the state's authorities<ref name="linksnet">http://www.linksnet.de/de/artikel/31300 as of May 25, 2014</ref>. With the "foreign agent" and "extremism"<ref name="DW">http://www.dw.de/russland-extremismusgesetze-weiter-versch%C3%A4rft/a-2680190-1 as of May 30, 2014</ref> laws instruments have been created to suppress and eliminate organizations and movements being critical to the state, but also any others bothering the political powers<ref>http://www.handelsblatt.com/meinung/gastbeitraege/nina-chrustschowa-putins-anti-extremismus-gesetz/7552500-2.html as of May 30, 2014</ref><ref name="DW" /><ref>http://www.sova-center.ru/en/misuse/ as of June 13, 2014</ref><ref>http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2012-07/russland-ngo-gesetz-2 as of June 26, 2014</ref>. In this context legal organizations de facto get prohibited if they are classified "foreign agents", because under these circumstances the continuation of work is almost impossible. With vague accusations of extremism even individuals who made critical statements were threatened with perennial imprisonment and virtually vanished into thin air. Environmental and human rights groups as well as other progressive organizations shall be stigmatized spies<ref name="zeit-gesetzt">http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2012-07/russland-gesetz-agenten as of June 26, 2014</ref> and discredited publicly<ref name="linksnet" />.
 
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=== Background ===
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In the United States of America a [[w:Foreign Agents Registration Act|similar law]] exists enacted 1938 as a measure against Third Reich propagandists. The description of elements of an offense, registration enforcement and threat of imprisonment sound similar. To date in the USA this regulation originally declared an anti-Nazi law is still in force. Later the law was amended several times, and used for instance for the anti-Cuba policy of the US government.<ref>https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Foreign_Agents_Registration_Act&oldid=128916972 as of May 25, 2014</ref> In Russia in 2012<ref>In spring 2012 the "foreign agent" regulation was accepted by the State Duma (Lower house of the Russian parliament), president Putin signed it on June Juli, and on November 21 of the same year it came into effect.<br/>http://in.rbth.com/articles/2012/12/28/russian_ngo_opts_to_be_registered_as_foreign_agent_21199.html as of May 25, 2014<br/>http://rbth.co.uk/news/2013/04/25/golos_association_ordered_to_pay_fine_for_failing_to_register_as_foreign_25447.html as of May 25, 2014</ref><ref name="ngos">http://in.rbth.com/articles/2012/11/24/ngos_to_fight_law_branding_them_foreign_agents_19297.html as of May 25, 2014</ref><ref>http://solidarity-russia.org/ as of May 25, 2014</ref><ref>http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2012-07/putin-ngo-gesetz as of May 25, 2014</ref> this idea was copied<ref>http://rbth.asia/articles/2012/07/09/ngos_must_register_as_foreign_agents_15707.html as of May 25, 2014</ref><ref name="controversy">http://rbth.asia/politics/2013/09/12/foreign_agents_label_continues_to_attract_controversy_48755.html as of May 25, 2014</ref>, but is directed primarily not against Nazis, but against any kind of political active organizations and their activists. Organizations engaging for the protection of human rights were one of the main targets of the "foreign agent" legislation<ref name="7x7">http://7x7-journal.ru/post/42651 as of May 28, 2014</ref>. The law had been created after the protests against irregularities during the Russian presidential elections in March 2012, where election observation NGOs had accompanied the process critically and indicated manipulations<ref name="zeit-gesetzt" /><ref>http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2012-03/russland-praesidentschaftswahl-betrug as of June 26, 2014</ref><ref name="zeit-ngo" />. The Russian president Vladimir Putin imputed the strong protest movement to be initiated by the West. Before the introduction of the "foreign agent" law he already had initiated a drastic aggravation of the right to demonstrate.<ref name="zeit-ngo" />
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<small><small>{{footnotes}}</small></small>
 
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Revision as of 07:48, 30 June 2014

Two solidarity campaigns have been started to support NGOs affected by the latest persecution under the "foreign agent" law in Russia. In Germany a campaign informs about the repression and political background, collects donations for the affected groups, spreads the word about concrete cases and activates groups to express their solidarity. Currently they focus on the persecution of "Humanistic Youth Movement" (GDM) and the already as "foreign agent" declared "Ecodefense. Additionally an international solidarity campaign has been initiated by anti-nuclear activists demanding Ecodefense's acquittal of the "foreign agent" stigmatization in a multi-lingual appeal.

Since some time progressive Russian groups and activists are under oppression by the state's authorities[1]. With the "foreign agent" and "extremism"[2] laws instruments have been created to suppress and eliminate organizations and movements being critical to the state, but also any others bothering the political powers[3][2][4][5]. In this context legal organizations de facto get prohibited if they are classified "foreign agents", because under these circumstances the continuation of work is almost impossible. With vague accusations of extremism even individuals who made critical statements were threatened with perennial imprisonment and virtually vanished into thin air. Environmental and human rights groups as well as other progressive organizations shall be stigmatized spies[6] and discredited publicly[1].

Background

In the United States of America a similar law exists enacted 1938 as a measure against Third Reich propagandists. The description of elements of an offense, registration enforcement and threat of imprisonment sound similar. To date in the USA this regulation originally declared an anti-Nazi law is still in force. Later the law was amended several times, and used for instance for the anti-Cuba policy of the US government.[7] In Russia in 2012[8][9][10][11] this idea was copied[12][13], but is directed primarily not against Nazis, but against any kind of political active organizations and their activists. Organizations engaging for the protection of human rights were one of the main targets of the "foreign agent" legislation[14]. The law had been created after the protests against irregularities during the Russian presidential elections in March 2012, where election observation NGOs had accompanied the process critically and indicated manipulations[6][15][16]. The Russian president Vladimir Putin imputed the strong protest movement to be initiated by the West. Before the introduction of the "foreign agent" law he already had initiated a drastic aggravation of the right to demonstrate.[16]




  1. 1.0 1.1 http://www.linksnet.de/de/artikel/31300 as of May 25, 2014
  2. 2.0 2.1 http://www.dw.de/russland-extremismusgesetze-weiter-versch%C3%A4rft/a-2680190-1 as of May 30, 2014
  3. http://www.handelsblatt.com/meinung/gastbeitraege/nina-chrustschowa-putins-anti-extremismus-gesetz/7552500-2.html as of May 30, 2014
  4. http://www.sova-center.ru/en/misuse/ as of June 13, 2014
  5. http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2012-07/russland-ngo-gesetz-2 as of June 26, 2014
  6. 6.0 6.1 http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2012-07/russland-gesetz-agenten as of June 26, 2014
  7. https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Foreign_Agents_Registration_Act&oldid=128916972 as of May 25, 2014
  8. In spring 2012 the "foreign agent" regulation was accepted by the State Duma (Lower house of the Russian parliament), president Putin signed it on June Juli, and on November 21 of the same year it came into effect.
    http://in.rbth.com/articles/2012/12/28/russian_ngo_opts_to_be_registered_as_foreign_agent_21199.html as of May 25, 2014
    http://rbth.co.uk/news/2013/04/25/golos_association_ordered_to_pay_fine_for_failing_to_register_as_foreign_25447.html as of May 25, 2014
  9. http://in.rbth.com/articles/2012/11/24/ngos_to_fight_law_branding_them_foreign_agents_19297.html as of May 25, 2014
  10. http://solidarity-russia.org/ as of May 25, 2014
  11. http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2012-07/putin-ngo-gesetz as of May 25, 2014
  12. http://rbth.asia/articles/2012/07/09/ngos_must_register_as_foreign_agents_15707.html as of May 25, 2014
  13. http://rbth.asia/politics/2013/09/12/foreign_agents_label_continues_to_attract_controversy_48755.html as of May 25, 2014
  14. http://7x7-journal.ru/post/42651 as of May 28, 2014
  15. http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2012-03/russland-praesidentschaftswahl-betrug as of June 26, 2014
  16. 16.0 16.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named zeit-ngo