MOSCOW, November 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russian NGOs involved in political work, which were required by law from this Wednesday to register as "foreign agents" if they receive funding from outside Russia, are unable to do so as the appropriate notification form has not yet been prepared, the Justice Ministry said on Friday.
"As of 21.11.2012 a notification about inclusion of non-governmental organizations in the NGO register which are fulfiling the function of foreign agents, has not come into being in the Justice Ministry and its territorial organs," the ministry's press service said.
The Justice Ministry is responsible for maintaining the register of such NGOs.
"Organizations can give in a notification to include them in the register only from the moment the Justice Ministry's procedural order comes into force for the register for those NGOs carrying out the functions of a foreign agent," the Justice Ministry added.
A draft order has already been prepared, and public consultation and independent anti-corruption experts have studied it, the ministry added. The order setting out the registration rules will be published in the government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta after it is registered, and will come into force ten days later, it said.
The Justice Ministry's website already has a register of NGOs that meet the "foreign agent" definition. The site also provide general information about the new law, the notification form and other information, although many of the links on the site are not yet active.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law in July. It has been criticized by Russian human rights organizations, who say it is just one of a slew of Kremlin-backed laws aimed at suppressing opposition to Putin's rule.
Under the new legislation, NGOs would also have to publish a biannual report on their activities and carry out an annual financial audit. Failure to comply with the law could result in fines of up to 500,000 rubles ($15,900).
Kremlin officials have repeatedly claimed that Washington is using NGOs in Russia as a cover to bring about political change.
The country’s oldest rights organization, the Moscow Helsinki Group, has said it will close down its offices rather than comply with the new law. Not a single NGO has applied to register as a "foreign agent."
Russia’s Public Chamber refused to support the bill, which was also criticized by the Kremlin’s own rights council.
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