Russian NGOs expect warnings from prosecutors forcing them to be registered as foreign agents
MOSCOW. April 27 (Interfax) - The sweeping inspections of the leading nongovernmental organizations (NGO) operating in Russia by prosecutors are unlawful, Moscow Helsinki Group Chair Lyudmila Alexeyeva said.
"These inspections are unlawful, they had no right to conduct them, and now they have no right to issue warnings to us," Alexeyeva told Interfax on Saturday with reference to independent lawyers.
Alexeyeva said she expects the prosecution authorities to start issuing warnings to leading NGO that have refused to be registered as foreign agents. "We will start receiving warnings on Monday or Tuesday," she said.
"We will not be registered as foreign agents on any circumstances. We are not foreign agents," she said.
Memorial human rights center head Oleg Orlov told Interfax on Saturday that the inspections of Memorial and organizations affiliated with it are expected to be finished next week.
"We do not rule out that we could receive a warning from the prosecutors as well," Orlov said.
"If the prosecutors or the Justice Ministry suggest that we should be included in the register of NGO acting as foreign agents, we will not obey this directive. We are not going to declare an obvious lie about ourselves," he said.
The Ryazan branch of Memorial has already received a warning, Orlov said. The inspectors have concluded that the organization's charter presumes that it could be involved in political activities and, since it can receive foreign grants, must be registered as a foreign agent, he said.
"In fact, it is impossible to clearly understand the prosecutors' requirements. It is unclear what an organization is supposed to do to avoid being forced to be registered as a foreign agent," he said.
The prosecution bodies, Justice Ministry, and Tax Service have conducted inspections of dozens of NGOs across Russia in the past several weeks to see how their activities comply with the law, including the law on NGOs acting as foreign agents, which obliges NGOs receiving funding from abroad to be registered as foreign agents.
Leading Russian human rights organizations, including the Moscow Helsinki Group, Memorial, For Human Rights, and others refused to be registered as foreign agents.
Prosecutor General Yury Chaika said at the Federation Council on Saturday that the Prosecutor General's Office would soon inform the public, including the parliament, about results of its inspections of NGOs. "We should know what money from abroad is spent on by NGOs on Russian territory. And you will be informed about results of our inspections," Chaika said.