In Rostov Region, Court fines "Union of Don Women" for acting without registration as "foreign agent"

In the Rostov Region, a magistrate has fined the public organization "Union of Don Women" 300,000 roubles for a charge of political activities without entering the register of "foreign agents".

Let us remind you that the Law "On Foreign Agents" requires non-commercial organizations financed from abroad engaged in political activities to accept the status of a "foreign agent". The Law has been criticized by human rights organizations. On May 28, 2014, the Federation Council approved the law, according to which the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) was entitled to put a non-commercial organizations in the register of "foreign agents".

On July 9, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Furkat Tishaev, an advocate of the organization, a lawyer of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", that the Russian MoJ put the "Union of Don Women" in the register of "foreign agents" and opened an administrative case against it.

"The MoJ considered that the Union was engaged in political activity. Therefore, on the one hand, officials put the organization in the register, since they have such a right, and, on the other hand, they fined the organization for the failure to get registered voluntarily. That means: at the same time, the organization was fined and put in the register," Furkat Tishaev has said.

According to the advocate, the defenders of the organization intend to appeal against the court's decision.