Possible replacement of Russian law on public associations with one on citizens’ associations
21/10/2016
MOSCOW, RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Human rights activists are expected to discuss this and other issues within the framework of expected meetings with representatives of the Russian Ministry of Justice on the eve of a special session which will focus on the work of non-profit organisations.
The Presidential Council for Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, will hold a special meeting that will focus on the work of non-profit organisations on November 22nd, RIA Novosti has reported.
“Before that, we intend to hold working meetings with the Ministry of Justice to discuss our prospects for working together on this issue. And, in particular, we are interested in the idea, put forward by the Presidential Council for Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights, and supported by the Ministry of Justice, of replacing the law on public associations with a law on citizens’ associations,” Mikhail Fedotov, Chairman of the Presidential Council for Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights, was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.
The idea of changing the law on public associations to a new law on citizen’ associations arose in 2015 as part of the discussions of the joint working group of the Presidential Council for Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights and the Ministry of Justice which has focused on discussing the transformation of existing legislation so that it conforms with the new updates to the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. “For some time, it (the working group) fell into a lethargic sleep, there was no progress, and now we are determined to wake it up,” stated Fedotov. Discussions of the joint working group have also lead to suggestions to convert the law on NGOs to a law on the state registration, monitoring and support of NGOs instead.
AUTHOR: Georgiy Ivanushkin
