Bracing for Isolation

Times have gotten tough for Russian NGOs lately. First, Russia passed a law requiring them to carry the mark of “foreign agents,” in the event they receive foreign funding. Since Russian corporate giving is practically non-existent, and most of the population is still struggling to make ends meet, very little NGO funding comes from Russia; most comes from foreign grants.

Some of these grants, in fact, came straight from USAID, which had a small operation in the U.S. Embassy. Yet Russia in September decided to cut that trickle of cash, demanding that the organization wrap up its work and leave within a few weeks. By October 1, USAID was gone, leaving U.S.-funded programs in limbo.

Among organizations receiving American money, all of whom had already braced for having the Scarlet Letter of “foreign agent” engraved on their activities, are the election observers GOLOS, the human rights group Memorial, and dozens of groups promoting local governance, HIV/AIDS prevention, disability rights, and other issues.

“We are extremely proud of what USAID has accomplished in Russia... we remain committed to supporting democracy, human rights, and the development of a more robust civil society in Russia,” the U.S. embassy said in a terse statement that made no hint of the difficulty of sending home the 13 American diplomats and letting go the 60 Russians who had worked at USAID for many years.

And despite tension regarding Syria, things were not entirely dismal on the diplomatic front. In fact, a historic visa agreement was signed in late August, making travel cheaper for both Russians and Americans.*

Many programs, especially in the regions, will probably be closing, while others will have to tread in increasingly hostile waters. In October, Human Rights Watch said human rights advocacy Russia is becoming the hardest it’s been over the past two post-Soviet decades, after its senior researcher, Tatyana Lokshina, received anonymous threats from someone with obviously extensive security clearance and surveillance capabilities. Those making the threats told Lokshina, who is nearly seven-months pregnant, that she would have a miscarriage. Watch executive director Kenneth Roth’s statement here: bit.ly/lokshina

If this is happening to a high-profile western employee, what are lesser-known activists in Russia’s provinces going through?

“It’s a strangely absurd feeling, to become the subject of one’s press release. I was going to go to the Caucasus before my maternity leave, to interview several people about human rights in Dagestan, about torture and kidnappings. But on Friday, when I was buying my ticket, I started getting text messages to myself and my unborn child. They were alluding to my connections with militants... It was clearly not just random private individuals with a dislike for Human Rights Watch, but people with the capacity for wiretapping, and spying for information that was unknown to any of my friends, such as the sex of my child, my travel plans, my home address. I was threatened with a miscarriage... The police did not offer me any defense.”

– Tatyana Lokshina (AFP)

* As part of the deal, Russians and Americans will be able to attain three-year visas, at the cost of $180, with the actual cost of the visa lowered to $20 from the earlier $100, the rest being a consulate fee. See page 16.