Russian Federation: Opinion of the Venice Commission No. 1014/2020 dated on 6 July 2021 on the Compatibility with international human rights standards of a series of Bills introduced to the Russian State Duma between 10 and 23 November 2020, to amend laws affecting “foreign agents”

In the adopted at the 127th plenary session Opinion Venice Commission analyzed the objectives and rationale for the legislative amendments to the laws affecting “foreign agents”; expanding the range of individuals and legal entities that can be designated as “foreign agents”; expansion of administrative requirements and restrictions for “foreign agents”; expansion of sanctions for violation of these requirements and restrictions. The Commission concluded that the adoption of these amendments constitutes a serious violation of fundamental human rights, including freedom of association and expression, the right to privacy, the right to participate in public affairs, and the principle of non-discrimination and expressed especial concern about the cumulative impact of the latest amendments on organizations, individuals, the media and civil society in general.

Citation: Rossiya: Zaklyuchenie Venetsianskoy komissii Nº 1014/2020 ot 6 iyulya 2021 goda o sootvetstvii mezhdunarodnym standartam v oblasti prav cheloveka ryada zakonoproektov, vnesyonnykh v Gosudarstvennuyu Dumu Rossii s 10 po 23 noyabrya 2020 goda i vnosyashchikh izmeneniya v zakonodatel'stvo ob “inostrannykh agentakh” [Russian Federation: Opinion of the Venice Commission No. 1014/2020 dated on 6 July 2021 on the Compatibility with international human rights standards of a series of Bills introduced to the Russian State Duma between 10 and 23 November 2020, to amend laws affecting “foreign agents”]. Sravnitel'noe konstitutsionnoe obozrenie, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 122–154. (In Russian).