From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng  (Original Message)    Sent: 12/23/2005 2:15 AM
Russian MPs approve NGO controls
Friday, 23 December 2005
Russian police remove a human rights activist protesting against the bill outside the Duma. File photo
Human rights activists have been campaigning against the bill
The Russian lower house of parliament has passed a controversial bill to tighten controls on non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The bill - criticised by human rights groups and Western governments - easily passed its third and final reading.

It was backed by 357 members of the Duma and rejected by just 20. Pro-Kremlin MPs dominate the Duma.

The Russian government argues that the legislation is necessary to ensure the security of the state.

'Foreign spies'

The bill is expected to be passed by the upper house - the Federation Council - before being signed into law by President Vladimir Putin.

It is one of the most controversial bills to be debated in the Russian parliament since President Putin came to power.

The Kremlin has been leading the call for tighter controls over the activities and finances of NGOs.

If adopted, the new legislation would provide just that, making Russian and Western NGOs more accountable to the state.

The authorities argue that NGOs are being used by Western governments and foreign spies to fan revolution across the former Soviet Union.

But human rights groups accused the Kremlin of trying to strangle civil society and of legislating to extend its own power.

There has been widespread criticism of the draft law in Russia and abroad, including from the US Congress and the Council of Europe.

President Putin amended the original bill, telling MPs to scrap the requirement for foreign groups to re-register their branches in Russia as local entities.

But prominent Russian NGOs have complained that even in its revised form, the bill would severely hamper their activities and represents a danger to democracy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4554894.stm