MOSCOW – Russian lawmakers on Tuesday passed a controversial bill allowing authorities to ban foreign NGOs deemed “undesirable” for the state, the latest step in a crackdown condemned by rights activists.Pro-Kremlin legislators overwhelmingly approved the legislation – which still has to be approved by the rubberstamp upper chamber and signed off by President Vladimir Putin – that targets international non-governmental organisations accused of undermining Russia’s “state security”.The law, opposed by the Kremlin’s own human rights ombudsman, allows authorities to bar foreign civil society groups seen as threatening Russia’s “defence capabilities” or “consitutional foundations” and go after local activists working with …read more
Source: AsiaOne
