[JURIST] Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Russia are chafing under increasingly strict regulations implemented under legislation signed into law [JURIST report] in April 2006 by Russian President Vladimir Putin [official website], rights groups told AP Wednesday in the wake of a Tuesday compliance deadline. The groups say they expect the Russian government to continue its clamp-down on foreign-funded and domestic NGOs operating under the law, which has been widely criticized [JURIST report] by the US government and human rights organizations. Prior to signing the 2006 legislation, Putin said that it was "aimed against puppeteers abroad" [JURIST report]. The Russian Ministry of Justice [official website, in Russian] has used the law to subject organizations to heightened financial and administrative scrutiny, as well as force non-compliant NGOs to shut down operations [JURIST report]. AP has more.

The law has been used against numerous NGOs operating in Russia, including the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society [advocacy website; JURIST report] and the British Council [official website; JURIST report].