NGO – “foreign agents” may prohibit observe the elections. Corresponding amendment included the second reading of the constitutional head of the Duma Committee Vladimir Piligin. Earlier, the press service of the Central Election Commission said that the work NKO- “agents” discredits the institution of observers. “Times” talked to co-chair of the Board of movement “Voice” Gregory Melkonyants how defenders will get new prohibitions.
– How will you work with the new amendments, whether there is some way to get around these rules by creating, for example, parallel to the association, which is not included in the list of “agents»?
– For “Voices” to circumvent these rules is not necessary. Because today we are working not from the association “The Voice”, which is still in the ill-fated register as “foreign agents”, and from the movement to protect the rights of voters “Voice” and fund “Voice-Ural”, who receive presidential grants. They are in no way connected with the association and not any foreign funding do not get.
But even here it is not so much the fact that the association can not have these features. The authorities have repeatedly stated that there were no restrictions on the activities of “agents” is not provided. That this is only an information rate, and that the state knew that these organizations receive foreign funding, and society.
In practice, we first encounter with the restriction in the elections in September this year. Then CEC, without reference to any rule of law, limited correspondents “Civic voice” access to the polls. And motivated by the fact that the association is “The Voice”, one of the founders of the newspaper is in the registry.
– It turns out MPs legalize existing informal norms.
– Yes, what happened de facto, now formalized de jure. If now the association “The Voice” really works, it would be, in fact, the prohibition of statutory activities. Everything that is written in the statute, this amendment is canceled, though, according to the Constitution, it is forbidden. We will appeal to the Constitutional Court, so that it gave a clear legal assessment of this initiative. Because the decision of the Constitutional Court of the Court of NKO- “agent” clearly articulated that no discrimination nonprofit organizations are no legal provisions. This is just some information piece and nothing more.
The position of the CEC and the legislator Pligina is in reverse – that the organizations that are in the appropriate register, may carry some sort of threat, but because their activities are limited. Moreover, according to the amendments to the electoral law, the Russian organization, in fact, be amazed at the rights and are equal to foreign and international organizations.
This is nonsense! Amendments almost give Russian organizations – “foreign agents” on the right to send Russian election international observers.
With regard to our work, we work in the same way as before. Now it will be difficult to act as correspondents “Civil Voices”. Will use other friendly media who support us access to the polls. If then there will be some more restrictions will continue to fight back.
But it does not oblige us to stop work on elections, to engage in a long-term observational studies elections. And since most of the violations in Russia has shifted from voting day for the period up to him, the work is still very much and outside the polling stations, we will adapt.
– Do I understand correctly that you are fighting more out of principle, but the legislation bypass, creating a mirror to observe the organization?
– The fact of the matter is that we do not go around, so we have been working. It turns out that legislators are now one step behind us. We have been told that we will not work on behalf of organizations that are included in this registry, we will eliminate them or will pursue their exclusion from the roster. In the meantime, we have created a separate entity and obtain presidential grants. All point.
– In November, the Ministry of Justice in response to a request “Soldiers’ Mothers of withdrawal from the registry said that such a mechanism does not exist in nature. And the Ombudsman Pamfilova said, a procedure for release of NGOs from the list of “foreign agents».
– We also have on their hands the decision of the Constitutional Court and the decision of the Moscow City Court to abolish all decisions to prosecute, that the Association “Voice” illegally included in this registry. And the Ministry of Justice also says that there are no exceptions to the procedure.
I know that the Ministry of Justice has developed its proposals in response to the President’s initiative and organization of the proposed conclusions from the registry after unscheduled inspections. There are many pitfalls. That period will be considered without foreign funding? What is the organization of political activity? I do not exclude that this is just another bureaucratic trap, mousetrap.
On the one hand, the right to be excluded from non-profit organizations will be, but, on the other hand, at the Ministry of Justice will not be the duties, only their own understanding what to do. And we need to get the Ministry of Justice had ruled on the organization of a clear, understandable criteria.
According to the two-year legislative experience, the state will delay the adoption of legislative norms, with the withdrawal of organizations from the register. NGOs forcibly kept in the registry because registry tougher report, labeled products. Although they are in fact a year or two longer receive foreign money. I would like to hear from the President that the law is time to change, nothing but grief for NGOs and citizens he has not brought.
Many NGOs from the registry simply stopped their work and are not engaged in using citizens. Several organizations disbanded, most likely, the roster will eventually consist of dead bodies.
– A citizens’ attitudes to NKO- “agent” deteriorating?
– I think people do not share the NGO from the register and outside it. Authorities generally have reduced the trust of citizens, pumping suspicious situation around the entire NGO sector. This is sad. Trust is earned over many years of fruitful work, and to lose it easily when on the TV show provocative programs about foreign agents. I know of cases where people have asked the representatives of NGOs: “Are not you a foreign agent?»
A more serious problem – the officials with certain settings in the head, which consider the risk to interact with NPOs. With the state and it is not easy to communicate, as a result of NGOs is even more difficult to carry out statutory tasks, help citizens.
– As far as the law struck your funding? Is it possible to survive only on domestic grants and donations from individuals?
– It is very difficult. Two-thirds of the budget we lost by abandoning foreign funding. This loss of regional offices, the possibility of the system between elections work, runs instructional materials. But there is a positive side: we are fewer resources to do more work, work not only in a single day of voting, collect more Russian assets.
But, of course, more than we lost. The law, which implies that the work on the foreign money priori bad – defamation and witch hunt.
– Is there some kind of imbalance in the distribution of state grants between loyal and independent human rights activists?
– Of course, the pro-government receive more resources and get them all the time, and we only this year, when they began to distribute grant operator “Civil Dignity”. For us, this experience is recent, and it’s difficult to say how things will proceed further. Do not rule out that it will stop. At the last competition, many human rights activists have not received grants, so let’s hope for competitions in the spring. From citizens to raise funds is important, but without the corporate resources to support only individual projects rather than institutional – pay offices, salaries and so on.
We, unfortunately, business is very careful and difficult to seek funding in this area. So it is necessary to rely on their own strength, Crowdfunding and government grants. While this is the period of survival of human rights organizations.
– What is the proportion of public money, business and individuals in the “Voice»?
– interact with the business does not work, for them it is a dangerous topic. State to individuals – 90 to 10.
– No risk of “bait” loyalizatsii NGOs?
– This risk for human rights organizations do not. Directly nobody says on this subject should work, but this is not. Such requirements “voice” is not shown. We work as before. Write out the projects themselves, they allocate resources to it. Like it or not, is determined at the time of distribution.
I have not heard that the allocation would put some conditions that we, for example, do some special statements violations of the election. If there were, we would have refused.
I believe that this is primarily a merit grant operator “Civil Dignity”. If they continue to maintain the status of the operator and will be in the same team of the competition committee to allocate grants, there is a chance that this independence will continue.
– How high is the interest of the citizens to observe the elections, there is a chance that the wave rise up to the next election cycle?
In the federal election observers were 4-5 thousand. man. The last single voting day about 3 thousand. Man. Now the activity of citizens on election observation decreased. People do not believe they can for something to influence elections for them uncompetitive.
Compared with last year observers was a third less. They are not seeing the competition, did not understand, why spend your Sunday afternoon and face various difficulties at the polling stations.
But these people are not lost and do not give up control of public authorities, they understand the tragedy situation. At that moment, when they feel that the need to lean on. They united in 2011 and 2012, so that regardless of the situation with the “voice” of these people come together in the future. For these people the “Voice” rather perform service functions, teaching and directing. For federal elections in 2016 will be a very big interest, people will realize that the deputies are elected for five years and for many it is the last chance to change anything. Activity will be greater than in 2011.
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