The torture prevention committee is included in the register of "foreign agents"

The Ministry of Justice included in the register of "foreign agents" the Committee on the Prevention of Torture - NPO, which is the actual successor of the committee against torture, which was liquidated precisely due to introduction to this register. Information on recognition by "agents" of the checkpoint and another organization - the Nizhny Novgorod Bureau of Public Investigations - is placed on the website of the ministry.

The grounds for decisions in relation to both NPOs named unscheduled documentary inspections conducted by the regional heads of the department: Nizhny Novgorod in relation to the Bureau of Public Investigations and Orenburg in relation to the checkpoint.

The Committee against torture was founded in 2000 in Nizhny Novgorod, and later opened its departments in a number of regions. The Ministry of Justice included the checkpoint in the register of "agents" in January 2015 on the basis of the submission of the prosecutor of the Nizhny Novgorod region Oleg Ponasenko. On April 3, the judge of the Soviet District Court of Nizhny Novgorod Olga Tonenkova rejected the CPP claim for recognizing the presentation of Ponasenko illegal. On July 8, the board of judges of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court rejected the appeal against Tonsenkova’s decision. After that, the chairman of the checkpoint Igor Kalyapin said that the organization "has one - urgently liquidate."

On August 3, the checkpoint ceased its activities . In return, the Committee on Prevention of Torture, founded in Orenburg, began work back in 2014. At the same time, Kalyapin emphasized that, unlike the checkpoint, the new structure will function exclusively on the donations of Russians. “There is no need to think that since we have created an organization that coincides almost by name, we just want to get around this law, leaving everything unchanged,” the human rights activist said. “Unfortunately, it is impossible to leave it unchanged, because it is clear that in a couple of months they recognize the“ foreign agent ”and the committee to prevent torture.”

As it turned out from Kalyapin’s commentary, the new structure was recognized as an “agent” due to the fact that citizens who allocated donations for her activities were employees of the organization receiving foreign financing. “Well then,” the human rights activist concluded, “I believe that this is our experiment on cooperation with the state on the principles of openness and transparency can be considered completed. The conclusions will be made and measures are taken. I dare to assure that this will be made quickly, accurately and adequately.”

Kalyapin did not explain the details, but assured that the Committee on Prevention of Torture never recognizes itself as an “agent” and will continue to work in all directions.