The Ministry of Justice ordered the "foreign agents" to report on expenses on expenses quarterly

The Ministry of Justice obliged NPOs with the status of "foreign agents", once a quarter to report on the expenditure of the received funds. The corresponding order is published on the website of the department. In addition, every six months they must report on their activities.

"The report on the activities and personal composition of the governing bodies of a non -profit organization performing the functions of a foreign agent should be presented to the Ministry of Justice of Russia once every six months (no later than January 15 and July 15)," the document says.

The order also provides on quarterly reports on the costs of spending and on the actual use of property, including those received from foreign sources. In addition, annually, "a non -profit organization performing the functions of a foreign agent, will be presented with an audit report on the results of an audit of the annual accounting (financial) reporting."

Currently, no non -profit organization has registered as a "foreign agent". However, according to the results of inspections initiated by the Prosecutor General’s office, such a status is assigned to a number of NGOs. Administrative affairs are initiated against the refusal to register. The first such process took place in relation to the Voice association and its leader Lilia Shibanova. They are fined 300 and 100 thousand rubles. Currently, Kostroma considers the case against the Kostroma Center for Support for Public Initiatives and its head Alexander Zamaryanov.

At the same time, shortly before the start of the checks, the Ministry of Justice took a more moderate position. So, at the end of January, the Ministry of Justice explained the refusal to include the Chuvash NPO “Shield and Sword” in the register of “foreign agents” by the fact that it conducts human rights, not political activity. The official statement of the ministry said that the organization’s goals “comply with the general principles of the protection and protection of human and citizen rights in the Russian Federation, enshrined in the Constitution,” “do not contradict national policy and are not aimed at changing it.”

On January 16, Minister of Justice Alexander Konovalov stated in the State Duma that the law on "foreign agents" contradicts the spirit of the legislation on NPOs. Thus, the minister replied to the rebuke of the unicorn Mikhail Markelov that the Ministry of Justice does not apply this law. Konovalov noted that his department could not identify either foreign financing of NPOs or their participation in politics. With the first question, he recommended deputies to appeal to the Ministry of Finance, with the second to the court. If the deputies want to introduce repressive measures, said Konovalov, they should fully rewrite the legislation on NPOs.

The Law on Foreign Agents entered into force on November 21, 2012. Any Russian NGOs that meets two signs - financing from abroad and political activity - must be mandatory in the register of non -profit organizations performing the functions of a "foreign agent". These NPOs are entered in a special register, and a different legal regime is established for them than for ordinary NGOs. This mode, in particular, provides for special reporting and special checks. A foreign source in the document refers to all the money that goes from abroad - from governments, states, international and other organizations, as well as from civilian, legal entities and stateless persons.