Two more organizations have been included in the Ministry of Justice’s register of «foreign agents». UNISON Public Foundation and a branch of the public organization Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) have been registered in accordance with the ministry’s procedures.
Earlier, three NGOs also formalized their status and were included in the register as «foreign representatives» operating in Kyrgyzstan — two entrepreneurship associations Eurasian Business Club and JIA, as well as a branch of Fauna & Flora company. The latter operates in the field of environmental protection.
In September, the Ministry of Justice reported that the acceptance of applications from NGOs for inclusion in the ministry’s register had only just begun — the Cabinet resolution «On measures to implement the Law «On Non-Commercial Organizations» came into force on September 9.
The ministry has to accept applications within two months. These deadlines have passed. During this period, representatives of the civil sector receiving external funding and engaged in «political activities» were supposed to submit an application for inclusion in the register. In case of violation of the law, such NGOs may be subject to liquidation procedures.
On March 14, the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan adopted in the third reading a bill on «foreign representatives» (analogue to a foreign agent in Russian legislation), officially known as the draft law «On Amendments to the Law «On Non-Commercial Organizations».
