PACE deputies condemned the law on NGOs

On January 25, 2006, at a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), with 70 votes in favor and 59 against, a statement was adopted that the law on NPOs adopted in Russia does not meet the criteria of the Council of Europe.

According to the session participants, the new law, in particular, will prevent non-profit organizations from working in Chechnya.

The decision of the PACE session is quite unexpected. At a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin claimed that the bill had been agreed upon with the Council of Europe before signing. “Our colleagues in Strasbourg took this issue very seriously, they did not just superficially familiarize themselves with the draft law, but also assembled a group of international experts. We received a written opinion from them,” said V. Putin.

Sources

• PACE: The law on NPOs does not correspond to European standards // Grani.Ru. 2006. January 25.
• PACE recognized the Russian law on NGOs as not meeting the criteria of the Council of Europe // NEWSru.com. 2006. January 25.