WESTERN concerns about Russia’s commitment to democracy grew yesterday when the Duma gave initial approval to a Bill that would close down thousands of foreign-funded non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including local branches of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

The Duma, which is dominated by Putin loyalists, approved the amendment to a law on NGOs by 370-18 on the first of three readings, despite concerns raised by America and the European Union this week.

The amendment’s supporters say that it will protect Russia from a revolution such as those in Georgia and Ukraine, where Western-funded, pro-democracy NGOs helped to mobilise support for the West-leaning politicians who took power.

Alexei Ostrovsky, a nationalist Duma deputy, told parliament yesterday: “We have seen what happened in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova and how these local branches of foreign NGOs that are funded by the CIA functioned . . . We want to defend our citizens from the chaos which our country can be dragged into by these foreign NGOs.”

Critics counter that the Bill will destroy Russian civil society by severely curtailing NGOs’ access to foreign funding from agencies such as the Department for International Development in Britain, USAID or the EU’s Tacis.

It would force all of Russia’s roughly 300,000 NGOs to re-register in the next year and increase the Government’s power to close NGOs for “political extremism”, or taxation or health and safety infringements. It would also make international NGOs, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, re-register as Russian organisations funded with Russian money, forcing many to close.

Holly Cartner, the Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said: “The express purpose of this law is to emasculate the NGO community.”

Vladimir Ryzhkov, an independent Duma deputy who voted against the Bill, said: “This is a dark day for Russian democracy. At least 50 per cent of Russian NGOs could be forced to close next year, as well as the majority of foreign NGOs.”

The amendment would also help the Government to inten- sify its crackdown on human rights NGOs in the North Caucasus, some of which it has accused of spying for foreign governments or working with Chechen rebels.

The British Embassy said that it was concerned about the draft law. The Ambassador, Anthony Brenton, sent a letter to the Duma Speaker this week on behalf of the EU presidency, expressing concern. President Bush also raised the matter in his meeting with President Putin in South Korea this week.

Leading American foreign policy organisations have lobbied the US Government to take a firmer stand. A letter to Mr Bush from the Council on Foreign Relations’ Russia task-force, headed by senators John Edwards and Jack Kemp, said that the Bill would “roll back pluralism in Russia and curtail contact between our societies”.

If passed, it will come into effect on January 1, the day that Russia assumes presidency of the G8.

Mr Ryzhkov said: “It would be a scandalous start to Russia’s G8 presidency. It will create great tension between the state and civil society, and between the state and the international community.”

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