ADVISING RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR OF CONCERN FOR CIVIL

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 131552

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/11/2018
TAGS: PHUM PREL RS
SUBJECT: ADVISING RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR OF CONCERN FOR CIVIL
SOCIETY

Classified By: EUR PDAS Marcie Ries, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: On December 9, DRL A/S David Kramer called
Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak in to the Department to
discuss civil society in Russia. Kramer expressed his
condolences for Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) Patriarch
Alexiy II's death. Kramer then gave Kislyak a copy of the
Department's statement on the police raid of the Memorial
office in St. Petersburg, expressing the Department's concern
over the raid and other incidents involving RFE/RL and
journalists. He said he hoped these incidents are
aberrations, not an emerging tendency to crack down on civil
society. Kislyak said he would look into them, but stressed
that all organizations must abide by Russian law. Kramer
also expressed concern over problems NDI has had with local
authorities and the Committee Against Espionage (CAE) in
Moscow, which reportedly has connections with Nashi and the
Kremlin. In response, Kislyak said again that all
organizations in Russia must follow Russian law. Finally,
Kramer raised the issue of a tax exempt status for NGOs.
Sergey Chumarev, an Embassy Counselor accompanying Kislyak,
cited statistics on the numbers of NGOs registered in Russia.
He then said that priority for tax exemption is given to UN
agencies, though the list is not yet closed. He speculated
that the current financial crisis would make it more
difficult for organizations to get themselves added to that
list. END SUMMARY.

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Patriarch's Death
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2. (C) DRL A/S Kramer began his December 9 meeting with
Russian Ambassador Kislyak by expressing his condolences for
the death of ROC Patriarch Alexiy II. Kislyak thanked Kramer
for his sympathy and for the President's statement. He said
that many people admired the Patriarch, and that Alexiy's
work at building inter-faith cooperation is the sign of a
healthy, developing society.

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Memorial Raid/Civil Society Problems
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3. (C) Kramer handed Kislyak a copy of the Department's
statement on the police raid of the Memorial NGO's St.
Petersburg office. He told Kislyak the charge of extremism
against the NGO seems flimsy, and he expressed concern about
the files and other materials taken from the organization.
Kramer requested Russian authorities return all confiscated
materials and said an investigation into the search would be
helpful. Kislyak said he is not aware of this case, but that
he would look into it. He added that Memorial is a
well-known organization, and as long as they work within the
law no one will interfere with their work. Kislyak insisted
that the anti-corruption law is very strict, and the place to
challenge whether or not one is in compliance with that law
is the courts, not the State Department. (NOTE: Kramer and
the statement both said Memorial was accused of violating the
law against extremism. Kislyak apparently misunderstood, and
thought it was accused of violating the anti-corruption law.
We followed up after the meeting to explain it was the law
against extremism. END NOTE.)


4. (C) Kramer also told Kislyak he is concerned about other
problems including a visit by Russian authorities to an
RFE/RL affiliate's office; the beating of a journalist in
Khimki; threats against journalist Yuliya Latynina; and
intimidation of an American Wall Street Journal
correspondent. Kramer said while he hopes these events were
aberrations, he is concerned they were part of a larger trend
reflecting a possible desire of the government to crack down
on civil society in the face of economic difficulties.
Kislyak said there is a crime problem in Russia, so not all
attacks are connected with politics. In addition, he added,
some people claim political persecution when they are guilty
of violating laws. He would have to look into the specific
details of the cases raised, Kislyak told Kramer, but he said
there is no connection between the financial crisis and the
enforcement of the law, which applies universally to all
individuals and organizations in Russia.

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NDI
---


5. (C) Kramer told Kislyak he is also concerned about
reports that local authorities and the CAE in Moscow (with
reported ties to Nashi and the Kremlin) had been harassing
NDI. Kislyak joked that he would be concerned only if the
harassment were connected to the FSB. Kislyak did not
respond specifically to these concerns, but stated that the
GOR's general policy of acting in accordance with Russian law
will not change. He added, "This is our country, not yours."
Kislyak explained that there were over 227,000 registered
NGOs in Russia, and that Russian authorities applied the law
universally. Kramer challenged this point, arguing that the
USG is not asking Russia to look the other way. He noted,
however, that it appeared the GOR is applying its laws
selectively.

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NGO Registration/Taxation
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6. (C) Kramer asked if Kislyak had any information on the
tax-exempt status of foreign NGOs in Russia. Kislyak
deferred to Sergey Chumarev, an Embassy Counselor responsible
for human rights. Chumarev said that NGOs are reducing their
activities this year, probably as a result of the financial
crisis. Nonetheless, he said, the number of registered NGOs
is fairly stable at around 200,000. This year, only 8
percent of NGOs applying for registration were refused (as
compared to 13 percent in 2007),and the usual reason for
refusal was a lack of proper documents. Chumarev noted 14
percent of the refusals were subsequently overturned by the
courts. He added that the Federal Registration Service is
working with foreign NGOs who have lagged behind in their
compliance with changes in Russian law, and that 126 American
NGOs had been registered while 6 American NGOs had been
refused registration. On the tax-exempt issue, Chumarev said
that priority for tax-exempt status is given to UN agencies,
but that the list is not
yet closed. He speculated, however, that the financial
crisis means that tax revenues are even more important and
gaining a tax-exemption will be more difficult.
RICE