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Foreign Agent Laws: Origins and Global Impact

Analysis of the origins and spread of "foreign agent" laws, focusing on the proposed legislation in Turkey and its implications for civil society.

Read original article in Turkish

Turkish

Germany

Germany Human RightsLegislationAuthoritarianismCivil SocietyForeign Agent

AkpHeinrich Böll FoundationEuropean Court Of Human RightsEuropean UnionGerman Political Education Centre

Vladimir PutinViktor OrbanDaniel OrtegaNayip BukeleBenjamin Reeve

What country is considered to be the origin of the "foreign agent" laws?: The origins of such legislation can be traced back to Russia's 2012 "foreign agent" law, which was designed to control organizations receiving foreign funding and deemed a threat to national security.
What is the European Court of Human Rights' stance on similar legislation?: The European Court of Human Rights has ruled against Russia's "foreign agent" law, citing human rights violations; however, Russia continues to disregard such judgments.
What is the main purpose of the proposed "influence agency law" in Turkey?: The proposed "influence agency law" in Turkey, similar to laws in other countries, is seen as a tool to suppress dissent and restrict civil society organizations.
Does the European Union have similar legislation, and if so, what is its purpose?: The European Union has implemented transparency directives aimed at regulating lobbying activities and countering disinformation, but these measures are not equivalent to the restrictive "foreign agent" laws.
How does the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) differ from the laws modeled after Russia's legislation?: While similar laws exist in other countries, like the US's FARA, experts argue that the key difference lies in the lack of evidence needed to classify organizations as 'foreign agents' in laws modeled after the Russian legislation.

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