Kremlin: ban on National Endowment for Democracy doesn’t restrict democratic freedoms

A ban on the activities of this or that non-governmental organization that has become undesirable does not mean the restriction of democratic freedoms of Russians, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. “It would be utterly wrong to say that banning the activities of this or that organization means that Russians are deprived of something,” he told reporters. “A ban on the activities of one or several organizations will, of course, not mean restricted access to the democratic [values] for Russian citizens.”

The presidential spokesman noted that there was a large number of public and non-governmental organizations of various kinds in the country.
When asked to comment on the fact that the National Endowment for Democracy has been placed on the register of undesirable organizations, Peskov said, “All this conforms with our legislation.”

On Tuesday, The Russian Prosecutor-General’s Office reported it had qualified the activities of the US National Endowment for Democracy as undesirable on the territory of Russia. “Considering the focus of the endowment’s activities, the prosecutor’s office concluded that it posed a threat to the foundations of Russia’s constitutional system, the country’s defence capacity and security,” the Prosecutor-General’s Office said.