Moscow (Russia)
The US-based MacArthur foundation has announced it is stopping work in Russia, saying laws restricting foreign organisations had made it "impossible" to continue.
In a statement by its president Julia Stash published Tuesday, the foundation said it would close its branch office in Moscow due to measures singling it out as "undesirable" by lawmakers. These changes "make it clear that the Russian government regards MacArthur's continued presence as unwelcome," the statement said.
The foundation has provided over $173 million (158 million euros)in grant money since 1992 to Russian groups in fields such as higher education and human rights.It also supports work of the Carnegie Moscow Center, which frequently publishes analyses critical of the Kremlin's policies.
In the statement MacArthur stressed that the money has been given "to further charitable purposes and benefit Russian citizens and society" and that the foundation is "entirely independent of the United States government." Since Vladimir Putin was elected in 2012, Moscow has strived to cut sources of foreign funding to its beleaguered non-governmental groups, first by passing a law branding such groups as "foreign agents."
In May, a new law went a step further, making it possible to ban foreign and international foundations if they are deemed "undesirable" by the foreign ministry. This month, Russian senators compiled an official proposal to blacklist 12 foreign NGOs, seven of which are based in the United States. The MacArthur foundation was on the list.
Among the current recipients of MacArthur's grants in Russia are rights groups Memorial and Committee Against Torture, the Higher School of Economics, and groups working on nuclear non-proliferation and environmental conservation.
