Putin law brands groups as 'foreign'

RUSSIAN president Vladimir Putin has signed a new law requiring non-governmental organisations that receive funding from abroad and engage in political activity to register as foreign agents.

Many NGOs say the law is aimed at discrediting their image and that the vague definition of political activity could be applied against a wide range of initiatives.

Lev Ponomarev, head of For Human Rights, one of Russia's oldest NGOs, said yesterday that his group planned to ignore the regulation and would challenge the law in court.

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