Russian Charities Ask Putin To Change Law On Foreign Agents

A group of Russian charitable organizations has sent a letter to President Vladimir Putin on Thursday asking him to exempt charities from the the law on foreign agents

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2021) A group of Russian charitable organizations has sent a letter to President Vladimir Putin on Thursday asking him to exempt charities from the the law on foreign agents.

On October 21, Putin said the Russian law on foreign agents should and would be improved.

"Statutory activity of a charitable organization cannot be considered a political activity; consequently it is exempt from the application of the Federal law. Cases where the activity of a charitable organization contradicts its charter are already subject to the justice ministry's control. An organization can be legally abolished if it repeatedly takes actions that contradict the goals outlined in its charter," the letter read, as quoted by the Takie Dela news portal.

The letter was signed by famous Russians involved in charity, including actress Chulpan Khamatova, actor Konstantin Khabensky, movie director Timur Bekmambetov, and actress Ksenia Rappoport, among others.

They also asked the president that non-commercial organizations be cleared of the foreign agent designation if legislation is changed.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Putin has not seen the letter yet, but intends to do so.

"No, the president has not seen the address yet. Of course, this address will be included in all the reports and will be brought to the notice of the head of state," Peskov told journalists, adding that Putin has commented on the need to clarify how the law is supposed to work.

The Kremlin spokesman also said there is no clear stance on charity organizations at this point, and that it is vital to "set out the existing concerns" in a dialog with lawmakers, experts, and relevant state agencies.