The Andrey Rylkov Foundation in Russia was just listed as an organisation carrying out the functions of a Foreign Agent.
"Our organization works on issues related to public health: prevention of HIV, Tuberculosis, hepatitis C and drug overdoses. We also provide social support to people who suffer from drug dependence, helping them to stay healthy, referring them to medical and social services in Moscow, rehabilitation centers, and narcological hospitals. We make contact with people who use drugs through street based social work and we are the only organization in the city which has constant access to this group. This group is very vulnerable to health problems and their access to medical services throughout the city is restricted. Almost no one wants to work with them. People who are drug dependent often can’t receive the medical help they need whether it is treatment abscesses or TB\HIV. Most of participants of our project are denied access to the hospitals, refused help and left to suffer. Together with our participants and supporters we fight for the accessible medicine, effective treatment, improved health care and protection of rights. These were the actions that Ministry of Justice considered to be a political activity."
This press release of the Foundation illustrates the alarming situation Russian NGOs working in the field of HIV prevention face due to the Foreign Agent legislation.
