Russia’s ruling United Russia party said non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are excessively politicized and financed from abroad and need to be regulated.
Yury Shuvalov, the deputy secretary of the party’s Presidium of the General Council, told a session of the party’s political clubs on Friday that in many cases “NGOs operate as an instrument of influence on Russia from abroad.”
He said the main issue that needs to be raised again is how the non-profit groups operating in Russia are financed.
Kremlin officials and pro-government youth groups often accuse the U.S. White House of threatening Russia’s sovereignty via the non-profit groups.
In a televised phone-in show late last year, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin dismissed the thousands of protesters who claim vote-rigging in the December 4 parliamentary elections as paid agents of the West.
Shuvalov’s colleague Andrei Isayev said that the development of NGOs in Russia is very important and they need government’s support.
“But I agree that certain filters should be created for NGOs because they receive foreign assistance,” he said, adding that it should be always publicly stressed “if a non-profit organization has been founded and is managed by a U.S. citizen.”
He cited as an example Russia’s largest independent election watchdog Golos, which, he said, is funded by the United States, saying that the American involvement should be always mentioned.
Golos, which is funded by the United States and EU, says it is being persistently pressured by the authorities.
At a recent news conference in Moscow, the group said its members were faced with “open intimidation,” including “phone-tapping, as well as breaking into mail boxes and accounts on social networking sites.”
Late last year, a documentary on state television accused Golos of serving U.S. interests and trying to foment a Ukraine-style “Orange Revolution” in Russia.
