Amnesty International: Moscow court consolidates witch hunt of NGOs

By upholding a draconian requirement for three more independent organizations to register as “foreign agents”, a Moscow court is rubber stamping the authorities’ witch hunt against peaceful human rights defenders, said Amnesty International.

“The Russian authorities’ determination to silence any form of dissent or criticism is astonishing. This week’s decision will further cripple civil society in Russia and have a disastrous impact on thousands of Russians who will see their chances of having their human rights protected greatly diminished,” said John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International.

The court agreed with the prosecutor that the combination of legitimate activities such as providing free legal aid to individuals subjected to arbitrary detentions and torture, analysis of legislation, publication of court decisions, the submission of a report to the UN Committee Against Torture and advocacy for police reform, all constituted “political activity”.

Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, believe that, in practice, the law has been used to limit the legitimate work of human rights activists and curtail freedom of association in the country.

http://www.amnesty.org./en/news/russia-moscow-court-consolidates-witch-hunt-ngos-2014-06-27

Can't have NGO's "providing free legal aid to individuals subjected to arbitrary detentions and torture, analysis of legislation, publication of court decisions, the submission of a report to the UN Committee Against Torture and advocacy for police reform". Sounds pretty subversive towards the established order to me.