MOSCOW, November 20 - RAPSI. A new law obligating Russian NGOs financed from abroad and involved in political activity to be registered as foreign agents has entered into effect on November 20.

The law was adopted by the State Duma in its spring session. Pursuant to the law, the agents will be obliged to be entered into a special registry. Different legal regulations will apply to them, which will not apply to ordinary NGOs. These regulations will stipulate a specific level of accountability and checks.

The law reads that the failure of an NGO with a foreign agent status to provide the required information to the state will result in a warning, a 10,000 ($318)-30,000 ($954) ruble fine for officials, or a 100,000 ($3,178)-300,000 ($9,534) ruble fine for legal entities.

If such an organization has not been entered into the registry, the fine for its management will amount to 100,000 ($3,180)-300,000 ($9,542) rubles, or 300,000 ($9,542)-500,000 ($15,903) rubles for legal entities.

If the organization has posted information in the media or on the Internet without specifying that it has been posted by a foreign agent, its management may be fined 100,000 ($3,180)-300,000 ($9,542) rubles, while the entities themselves may be fined up to 500,000 ($15,903) rubles.

If a foreign-funded NGO continues working despite the official suspension of its activities, it has been proposed that the organizers should be fined 30,000 ($954)-50,000 ($1,590) rubles, while the organization's members should be fined 3,000 ($95.42)-5,000 ($159) rubles.