At a plenary session on December 23, the State Duma adopted in the third and final reading a law banning the financing of rallies and demonstrations from abroad, by foreign agents or anonymously.
The law, in particular, obliges the organizer of a mass action, when submitting documents before its holding, to indicate the account to which the funds should be received.
The document also prohibits the financing of public events by foreign states, organizations, citizens and stateless persons, as well as foreign NGOs, Russians under 16 years of age, anonymous donors and legal entities registered less than one year before the date of transfer of funds or other property.
For the second reading, this list was supplemented by unregistered public associations and natural persons-foreign agents.
The document was developed by State Duma deputy Dmitry Vyatkin. Another initiative of the parliamentarian, prohibiting mass actions near the buildings of emergency services, was also approved by the lower house of parliament on Wednesday.
The document prohibits holding public events in areas directly adjacent to the buildings of emergency services. In addition, it provides for the possibility of transferring mass actions due to the threat of emergency situations.
In addition, the document clarifies that the court will be able to recognize as a rally several single pickets, united by a common idea, and the massive simultaneous presence or movement of citizens in public places, designed to express or form opinions and put forward demands.
In the first reading, the package of amendments was approved at a meeting of the State Duma on December 9.
On November 23, Vyatkin submitted to the lower house of parliament a bill establishing administrative liability for illegal wearing of a media employee’s badge at rallies. In another bill, the deputy proposes to fine for financing the organization and holding of a meeting of persons who do not have the right to do so. Such a violation may entail the imposition of an administrative fine in the amount of 10 thousand to 15 thousand rubles, for legal entities – from 50 thousand to 100 thousand rubles.