Russia passes bill expanding list of foreign organizations that can be deemed undesirable
The bill providing for the possibility to recognize any foreign organizations, including those whose founders are foreign government agencies, as undesirable in Russia, has passed on July 23 the second and third readings in the State Duma lower house of parliament.
The draft laws will not affect international intergovernmental organizations of which Russia is a member or organizations incorporated into the governmental structures of foreign countries.
Last month, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Russia violated the European Convention on Human Rights when it labelled several foreign organizations operating in Russia as "undesirable."
The list of so-called undesirable organizations has existed in Russia since 2015. The authorities include almost 180 NGOs, associations and media outlets.
