NGO Fine Upheld in Moscow Court
Published: June 11, 2013 (Issue # 1763)
The 300,000 ruble ($9,500) fine imposed last month on Russia’s independent election monitoring agency Golos has been upheld by a Moscow court, a news report said Friday.
Presnensky District Court rejected the organization’s appeal against the fine that was imposed under the law requiring all non-governmental organizations that receive foreign funding and engage in political activity to register as “foreign agents,” Interfax reported.
Golos director Lilia Shibanova was also fined 100,000 rubles (about $3,150) for refusing to register the agency with the Justice Ministry.
The election watchdog insists that it hasn’t received foreign funds since the NGO law came into effect in November.
Grigory Melkonyats, deputy executive director of Golos, said that the Norwegian Helsinki Committee sent them 7,000 euros by mistake. The money was moved to the bank’s transit account as soon as the error was noticed, a claim supported by the agency’s lawyer, who presented documentation showing that the money wasn’t in Golos’ account.
Despite the fine the association does not intend to stop their work and is preparing a case to be brought before the Constitutional Court and the European Convention on Human Rights to prove their innocence, according to a Golos press release.
Golos was the first group to face administrative charges following the introduction of the law requiring NGOs to register their activities with the government. It has been vocal in criticizing Russian elections in recent years, most notably during the December 2011 State Duma elections, which were followed by large-scale protests against electoral fraud, RIA Novosti reported.