Russian PEN has become the latest victim of Putin´s campaign against free speech. Free speech defenders at Russian PEN Centre have been hit with an order freezing their organisation´s assets and threatening the group´s future, a step widely seen as both unjust and probably politically motivated.

The order came after allegations that the organization has failed to pay land tax. The charges come at the height of an apparent crackdown on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the Russian Federation, particularly those with an international dimension.

“The development in the Russian Federation now is very bad”, said the president of International PEN, the Czech writer Jiri Grusa. “The action against Russian PEN has the handwriting of the old Soviet system. I feel great sorrow for the Russian people.”

Strong opposition to new law from international community
In spite of strong opposition from both within and outside the Russian Federation, President Vladimir Putin signed a law earlier this month that severely restricts the organizational and fundraising activities of NGOs. This law is one of many under consideration that diminishes the ability of civil society organizations to function effectively in the Russian Federation.

In November Russian PEN published a declaration sharply criticizing the proposed law regulating the work of NGOs. The declaration noted: “In the event that the Deputies should pass this law, the main blow will be felt not just by Russian human rights organizations, but also scientific, cultural and other humanitarian collectives which already are finding it hard to exist.”

With a membership of writers including novelist Andrei Bitov and essayist Viktor Erofeev, the Russian PEN Centre was founded in May 1989 with key support from Arthur Miller, 11th International President of PEN, who died a year ago this week. The Centre has for 15 years been a powerful advocate for freedom of expression in the Russian Federation and the former Soviet Union.

Refusal to drop charges despite documentation
Although officers of the Russian PEN Centre appeared before the court with documentation showing that the Centre is a legal tenant of the property where it has conducted its business, and that it is not liable for the tax on the land, the tax office refused to drop the charges.

The freezing of its bank account will shut down the Centre’s ability to operate at a time when its work is crucial to protecting freedom of speech in the Russian Federation. The Centre has also been threatened with sequestration of its office equipment and furnishings.

“Freedom of expression is a delicate plant in Russian culture, and it needs all the institutional support it can get”, said Michael Frayn, Vice President of English PEN. “Even the appearance of undermining it would confirm the world’s worst fears about the direction of the country´s political development.”