Two months ago, a civic-minded history professor in the picturesque city of Kostroma invited a U.S. diplomat to take part in a roundtable about Russian-American relations. The event was open, the conversation spirited — and Monday the professor’s organization goes to court, accused of being a foreign agent.
The Kostroma Center for the Support of Public Initiatives has run afoul of a new law requiring organizations that receive funds from abroad and engage in political activity to register as foreign agents.
The center’s chairman, and civic activists across Russia, says his group is neither political nor in the pay of foreign governments.
The law, they say, is being used to silence advocacy groups and frighten supporters, and it reminds some of the Cold War era, especially since many of the targets have U.S. connections.
Note EU-Digest: Most US states require individuals and organizations (NGO's) to register before soliciting contributions there. nternational organizations might qualify for more funding opportunities
if they work with fiscal sponsors or start their own 501(c)(3)
charities. This is especially true if they want to solicit
tax-deductible charitable contributions from individual donors, who
cannot claim this benefit if they donate to most foreign organizations.
However, these new charities should be formed to support a mission and
not act only as a conduit to send funds abroad.
Read more: Russia cracks down on U.S.-linked NGOs - The Washington Post
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