Russian legislation on “foreign agents” violates freedom of association and freedom of expression. That’s what the European Court of Human Rights ruled.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg
(dpa) According to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), Russia’s legislation on “foreign agents” violates freedom of association and the right to freedom of expression. The Strasbourg court ruled on Tuesday. Russia is to pay the 73 plaintiff non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around 1.02 million euros in compensation and reimburse costs of almost 119,000 euros. Those affected have no prospect of paying the money because Russia no longer observes the verdicts.
In 2012, a law came into force in Russia that forced NGOs, for example, to register as “foreign agents” because of their alleged political work and foreign funding. The criteria for the audit were tightened for those affected, and violations of the requirements were sanctioned. Many organizations were forced to close or were wound up because of the heavy fines.
The ECtHR, based in Strasbourg, France, is part of the Council of Europe. The bodies that are independent of the European Union work together to protect human rights in the 46 member states. Although Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe because of the war of aggression against Ukraine, it will remain a party to the European Convention on Human Rights until September 16.