| Russian prosecutors on Tuesday moved to outlaw a prominent U.S. foundation, for the first time taking advantage of a new law designed to shut foreign groups deemed hostile to national interests amid a showdown with the West over Ukraine. The Prosecutor General's office issued a statement describing the National Endowment for Democracy as a threat to "the foundations of Russia's constitutional order, its defense capability and security" and declaring its activities "undesirable." NED described the move as part of Russian government efforts "to intimidate and isolate Russian citizens." After receiving a formal approval by the Justice Ministry, the move would prevent the Congress-funded NED from distributing any grants and having offices in Russia. The prosecutors' action followed recent approval of a new law that empowered prosecutors to shut down foreign groups purportedly threatening Russia's defense or constitutional order. "The law on undesirable organizations is the latest in a series of highly restrictive laws that limit the freedom of Russian citizens," NED said in a statement. "This law, as well as its predecessors, contravenes Russia's own constitution as well as numerous international laws and treaties." An earlier law required non-governmental organizations that receive funding from abroad and are engaged in loosely-defined "political activities" to register as "foreign agents." NGOs have protested that law as discriminatory, saying that it aims to erode their credibility by evoking associations with spies. Source URL |