23:44, 20 December 2006

Putin approved the list of NCOs entitled to fund the Kremlin

An order of Mr. Putin, President of the Russian Federation, has appeared in the web-site of the RF President. The order lists the Non-Commercial Organizations (NCOs), which will be funded from the state budget. The document instructs the President's Department of Affairs to transfer the money to the enlisted NCOs, and the government - to amend the state budget accordingly.

The approved Annex of 212 pages lists 1054 organizations entitled to receive the governmental support and their particular projects. Totally, the volume of funds directed to the NCOs will make 472,707,834 roubles.

We note here that many actions of Russian authorities in relation to non-governmental and non-commercial organization are estimated by the public as pressure. The "Caucasian Knot" has informed earlier that in April this year the authorities toughened by law the regulation of NGOs' activities, having stated that some of them - in defiance of the legislation - are under influence of foreign governments. Russian human rights defenders intend to demand cancellation of the law as non-constitutional.