Kremlin proposes tightening the law on 'undesirable organizations'

The Russian government has brought a bill before the State Duma, the country's lower house of parliament, to tighten the law on so-called "undesirable organizations." Under the new amendment, "undesirable organizations" would be forbidden both to create legal entities and to participate in them. Under the current law, such organizations are only forbidden to create business units in Russia.

The law on "undesirable" foreign and international organizations was created in May 2015. Such organizations are forbidden from engaging in any activity on the territory of the Russian Federation. The law also calls for penalties or imprisonment for collaborating with such organizations.

The list of "undesirable organizations" was created by the Ministry of Justice. So far it contains seven organizations, among them the National Endowment for Democracy, the Open Society Foundations, Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation, the US-Russia Foundation for Economic Advancement and the Rule of Law, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, Media Development Investment Fund, and the International Republican Institute.