China, Egypt, and Russia Continue Crackdowns on Nonprofits with Foreign Ties

Recent months have brought even further restrictions by governments in China, Egypt, and Russia on domestic nonprofits with foreign ties in China. Developments include:

• Late last month China adopted a new Law on the Management of Domestic Activities of Overseas Nongovernmental Organizations. According to a helpful summary prepared by Mark Sidel (Wisconsin) for Foreign Policy, the law shifts oversight of foreign NGOs to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) by requiring such groups to register, be authorized by, and report to MPS and also to “find a Chinese partner organization [vetted in advance by MPS] to take responsibility for all of the foreign entity’s work in China.” This shift is significant because it places all such organizations under the direct jurisdiction of China’s internal security apparatus. The Law also restricts the subject matter areas and, depending on the subject matter, geographic areas in which foreign NGOs can operate. The White House promptly raised concerns about the new law, even as foreign NGOs struggled to understand how it applies to them and their activities. Additional coverage: Boston Globe/APNY TimesThe Guardian.

UPDATE: Economist coverage.

• Egypt has launched criminal investigations of human rights activists and the organizations with which they are associated based on allegations that they took foreign funding to try to destabilize the country. An Egyptian court is currently considering whether to freeze the bank accounts and other assets of the targeted individuals, an action that could be followed by formal criminal charges that carry up to 25 years in prison, according to a recent NPR Morning Edition story. Additional coverage: LA TimesNY TimesThe Guardian.

• Russia recently outlawed the pro-democracy National Democratic Institute under a law that has been used against it and four other organizations with links to U.S. funders, according to the NY Times. The stated reason for the ban was that the group posed “a threat to the foundations of Russia’s constitutional order and national security,” a charge that both the group and the U.S. State Department rejected.

Lloyd Mayer