Saratov in search of agents

The Association "Partnership for Development" does not recognize itself as a foreign agent

The Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights under the President of the Russian Federation expressed concern about a court decision on the recognition of the Saratov environmental organization "Partnership for Development" by a foreign agent. According to the HRC, the conviction is the next proof of the legal uncertainty of the concept of "political activity" in the Law on NPOs.

On August 4, the justice of the peace Natalya Sedova issued an indictment against the "partnership for development", headed by the ecologist Olga Pitsunova. On August 8, a similar decision was made in relation to Pitsunova herself. In conjunction, she was assigned a fine of 400 thousand rubles. The trial on the basis of an anonymous letter was initiated by the Prosecutor's Office of the Kirovsky district of Saratov, accusing the “partnership for development” of an offense under part 1 of Article 19.34 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation (“carrying out activities by a non -profit organization that performs the functions of a foreign agent, not included in the register”).

The head of the Association "Partnership for Development" Olga Pitsunova refuses to admit that the NGOs she heads is a foreign agent, indicating that the organization is not political, and intends to appeal the court decision.

The day before the court, Olga Pitsunova took part in public hearings on licensing the activities of the radioactive waste burial point in the Tatishchevsky district of the Saratov region. At the entrance to the building of the district administration, where the hearing took place, Two young people of sports physique met Pitsunov, who refused to introduce themselves, and handed her a summons to the court. According to the ecologist, young people threatened to bring her to court by force in case of failure to appear at the meeting. Pitsunova already announced the surveillance organized by law enforcement agencies, when on July 25 an assistant to the district prosecutor and employees in civilian clothes traveled it in the market and tried to hand over the summons to the court without a lawyer.

The head of the Communications Department of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “The Rosrao Radioactive Waste of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise, which was present at public hearings, Denis Pleschenko noted that the pursuit of Pitsunova negatively affected the hearing, as this was attempt to exclude her from the struggle for the safety of the“ nuclear grave ”and the Balakovo nuclear station. According to Pleshchenko, according to Pleshchenko. Association "Partnership for Development" by a foreign agent does not allow anyone to prohibit Pitsunova to express his point of view:

- For us, all these courts are like sticks in the wheels. In the spring, we invited Olga Pitsunov to Moscow to the forum. We established a dialogue, she just started to hear us. And then the courts begin.

In defense of Olga Pitsunova, an expert of the Belluna International Ecological Association Andrei Ozharovsky, who noted that she participated in the Rosatoma forum: not so long ago, was in defense

- If you follow the strange logic of the NPO law, we can say that she is an agent of Rosatom, since she participated in their money in events. All these courts cannot affect the reputation of Olga Pitsunova, because everyone understands that most often repressions regarding social activists are completely not justified.

The prosecutor's office of the Saratov region to comment on the decision of the justice of the peace in relation to Olga Pitsunova and her NGOs refused.

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  Anton Naumluk

  Foreign Correspondent RS