Foreign Agents in Russia - Doria

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The relevant definition of political activities is provided in the law's further amendments.
The juridical definition of an NKO makes definitions for what purposes they can be founded for,
but the political activities instead are defined in practical activities, because they might be absent in
the founding documents of an NKO. Addingly the reference to foreign agents often states: an NKO
acting (or performing) as a foreign agent (некоммерческая организация выполняющей функции
иностранного агента). In rhetorical perspective this suggests a function where form of action is
conditional foreign agent. The foreign assets of foreign agents are generally inclusive so the
importance of foreign agent action emphasizes.
Compared to the above provided list of agendas for which NKOs can be founded for, the
exclusions given to the definition of foreign agent include charitable, cultural, physical culture and
sports, scientific, spiritual, and protection of public health promoting NKOs. However these
amendments leave space for inclusion of the NKOs operating in fields of social, administrative,
educational, legal protection and assistance, non-material needs of citizens (excluding religious
organizations), and chambers of commerce. Moreover each of the included forms of activity can be
excluded with the loose definition of philantrophical organizations, voluntary work and other
connections to the exclusions. For example operating in the fields of non-material needs or
education could be considered either as affecting to the public opinion, or as protecting of
childhood. On the other hand while some activities of an NKO might be regarded as non-political, it
seems to be possible to be labeled as a foreign agent while being involved only partially in activities
considered to be political.
Features of what is not a foreign agent provide some recognizable moral form for the
discourses. Activity promoting philantrophy is not characteristic for a foreign agent, which brings to
the conclusion that the foreign agents are either bad or neutral at best in the public activities
defining them, which is supporting a rather pejorative connotation of foreign agents. This is in
somewhat conflict with the basic definition that the NKOs in general are defined to be founded for
the public good, but the new law states that these activities are measured against practice
disregardles of the organization's founding documents. Moreover the law avoids giving a direct
negative content to the discourses, as such feature is only given in the e contrario definitions of the
foreign agents. Generally speaking to find an NKO that would not claim to promote philanthropy in
one way or another would seem quite difficult; however the law provides the Russian officials the
freedom of making such a definition which is giving the NKO law the typical implementable
Russian feature the relevant theory (E.g. Parikka 2011) argues.
The different juridical rules for foreign agents adding to the above mentioned regulations are
defined in article 32 on control of NKO activities. (consultantplyus.) The NKOs acting as foreign
agents have extra requirement to report activities and their financial audit to the media and the