MOSCOW, December 13 (RAPSI) - In a speech at a State Duma plenary meeting on Friday, Alexei Kazakov (A Just Russia), member of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, proposed a ban of media outlets and public organizations across Russia that are involved in political activity and are funded from abroad.

Referring to the law requiring certain NGOs to register as foreign agents, Kazakov said. “I believe that we need to go further and think about banning organizations that are engaged in political activity using foreign money.”

The MP also spoke in favor of closing down media funded from abroad.

“I would like to focus in particular on one phenomenon that exists only in Russia and very few other countries. I’m talking about media outlets funded by foreign states that cover our political system and form our political opinions,” he said.

“We should look very closely at their work in Russia and raise the issue of banning the media in this country which is sponsored by foreign money. Because they cover all political events through the perspective of the West,” the politician added.

A federal law was passed last November requiring all NGOs engaged in political activity, and receiving finance from abroad, to register as a “foreign agents,” or face fines of up to 500,000 rubles (approx. $16,000). In February, eleven Russian NGOs, Moscow Helsinki Group among them, lodged a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) protesting the law.

Inspections of NGOs began in late March 2013, with the Justice Ministry claiming that the goal was to check that these organizations’ activities corresponded with the objectives of their charters and the Russian legislation. Up to 2,000 rights groups and NGOs in Russia have been raided by prosecutors and other officials, according to some estimates.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that he sees no reason to toughen or liberalize the law, but believes in putting things in order. “Some clear criteria for political activity should be set,” he said in August at the annual youth forum at Lake Seliger in Russia’s Tver Region.