The Prosecutor General’s Office has declared the activities of the international human rights organization Transparency International, headquartered in Berlin, undesirable in Russia, according to the department’s Telegram channel. According to the department, the organization, “formally advocating” the fight against corruption, “interferes in the internal affairs” of Russia and poses a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order and the country’s security.
“It has been established that the activities of this organization clearly go beyond the declared goals and objectives,” the Prosecutor General’s Office said, emphasizing that Transparency International is led by citizens of foreign countries.
Transparency International is an international non-governmental organization that claims to fight corruption and study its level around the world as its goals. The organization was founded in 1993 by former World Bank Director for East Africa Peter Eigen in Berlin. Now it has branches in dozens of countries around the world. In April 2015, the Russian branch of Transparency International was recognized by the NPO as a foreign agent.
According to the law, organizations recognized as undesirable cannot operate in the country. They are prohibited from opening structural subdivisions in the country, creating legal entities and projects, distributing informational materials, and conducting monetary transactions.
In addition, Russians and stateless persons permanently residing in Russia, as well as Russian legal entities, are prohibited from participating in the work of undesirable organizations, including those abroad, financing them and distributing their materials. Participation in the work of an undesirable organization is punishable by a fine of 5,000 rubles to four years in prison. Financing such organizations threatens with imprisonment for up to five years, and for the organizers of an undesirable organization, up to six years in prison are provided.