Court Ruling To Fine Sakharov Center In Moscow Canceled

The Moscow City Court has canceled a lower court's decision to fine the Moscow-based Sakharov Center for not complying with a controversial "foreign agents" law. 

The Moscow City Court has canceled a lower court's decision to fine the Moscow-based Sakharov Center for not complying with a controversial "foreign agents" law. 

Lawyer Maksim Krupsky, who represents the Sakharov Center via the "Public Verdict" foundation, said that the court on March 30 sent the case back for revision to Moscow's Taganka District Court. 

In December 2014, the Sakharov Center was fined 300,000 ($4,400) for refusal to register as a "foreign agent." 

Earlier that year, the Justice Ministry added the Sakharov Center to its list of "foreign agents."

The law, adopted in 2012, requires any nongovernmental organization that receives funding from abroad and engages in political activity to formally register as a "foreign agent." 

The Sakharov Center insists that its activities are purely educational and have nothing to do with politics.

rferl.org