Slovakian lawmakers on Wednesday passed a law to require non-governmental organizations to disclose their funding sources as well as the names of major contributors.
The law introduces fines for those who fail to comply.
While populist presented the legislation as a move toward greater transparency, critics accused the law of restricting civil society institutions.
There were nationwide protests against the law earlier this month, with the government eventually scaling back some measures.
Two weeks ago, thousands of demonstrators rallied against the measure in the capital, Bratislava, and other cities.
Slovakia’s controversial NGO law
Opposition groups say the law they dubbed the “Russian law” could be used to silence critics.
“We call it a Russian law not because it is a copy of the Russian one but it was inspired by Russia and in variety with the constitution and EU law,” said Katarina Batkova, director of Via Iuris, one of the oldest civil society organizations in the country.
Slovakia removes some of the more controversial language from NGO law
Before the final vote, the government removed some of the more controversial proposals included in the bill, including a provision to label NGOs as “lobbyist groups” and “foreign agents” following criticism from the European Commission.
“This law is neither Russian nor American, but clearly European,” Fico later said during a parliamentary debate.
A similar bill was passed last year by Georgian lawmakers following mass street protests.
There too, critics drew parallels to the Russian law that has been in force since 2012 and that has been used by the Kremlin to clamp down on dissidents.
Big protests against tightening control over NGOs
Since December, the Slovak government has seenbecause of its Russia-friendly politics.
Unless vetoed by newly elected President Peter Pellegrini, the law is expected to take effect on June 1.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar
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