Daria
Miloslavskaya, member of the public chamber of the Russian Federation (RF) and
director of the Russian branch of the International Centre for Non-commercial
Law, gave a  special interview to ASI
about the most important events that had affected the third sector in the
outgoing year and also about the prospects for 2013. The interview is summarised
below.

Events of the Year: Not one
organisation was closed down. There were no notorious court cases. NGOs had had
quite a quiet life. Furthermore the ministry of justice did not impose
sanctions on any of them that would have seemed unfair. From the point of view
of law enforcement life was reasonably quiet.

Negative features: There was of course
enactment of the law on foreign agents and of the law prohibiting adoption of
Russian orphans by US citizens which complicates the work of American
organisations in the RF.   

Person of the Year: Elena Topoleva. She
has taken on a deal of responsibility and hard work in order to support NGOs
and she is pulling us along behind her.

Forecasts and expectations: What we are
mainly awaiting is what the ministry of justice will be doing in relation to
the foreign agents law and the amendments affecting foreign adoptions. I do not
think the ministry will be highhanded but regrettably the fate of the third
sector does not depend on it alone.

http://www.asi.org.ru/ASI3/rws_asi.nsf/va_WebPages/23B9413EF2F4FA5244257AE00057EE8ARus