Judicial Body Criticizes Russia's Arbitrary Implementation of the "Agent Law"
Russia has infringed upon human rights with its "foreign agent" legislation, as per a judgment by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The statutes are labeling and incompatible with the freedom of expression, the judges in Strasbourg concluded.
The law doesn't, contrary to Moscow's assertions, ensure national security; instead, it's used as a tool to intimidate and penalize. Over 100 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the prohibited Memorial group in Russia, lodged the complaint.
In 2012, Russia implemented a law that obliged NGOs to register as "foreign agents" due to their alleged political activities and external funding. Based on the law, which was tightened most recently in 2022, NGOs have faced severe penalties and fines, or even dissolution, for years.
The ECtHR had rendered a similar decision two years prior. Nevertheless, the influence of the present ruling is expected to be constrained: Russia doesn't acknowledge the court's judgments. The nation was expelled from the Council of Europe due to its persistent aggression against Ukraine since February 2022.
As a consequence, it is no longer a part of the European Convention on Human Rights, which the court is charged with enforcing. However, the court can still adjudicate on occurrences that took place within six months following the exclusion. The ECtHR and the Council of Europe are separate entities from the EU.
The Europeans, in their observation, noted that the following ruling from the ECtHR in 2012 also addressed Russia's "foreign agent" legislation. Despite the repeated judgments against it, Russia continues to disregard the ECtHR's decisions.
