October 1, 2013; ABC News

 

Golos, one of the organizations audited by the Russian government for receiving money from abroad, has had a regional arm closed for three months by the Justice Ministry for failing to register as a “foreign agent.” Golos is a monitor for elections, and the regional arm is aimed at bolstering public involvement in regional politics.

The national NGO Golos, Russia’s leading election monitor, was the first to be prosecuted under Russia’s “foreign agent” rule. It saw its own operations suspended for six months in June, but employees launched another effort under the same name in early July.—Ruth McCambridge