MOSCOW, February 14 (RAPSI) - Non-commercial partnership «Supporting Competition in the CIS Countries» remains the only NGO that registered as a foreign agent in accordance with a law passed in 2012 requiring NGOs funded from abroad to declare their status, according to the Justice Ministry's website.

A federal law was passed in 2012 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 (app. $16,000). Last 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 when the Justice Ministry said its goal was to check that these organizations' activities corresponded with the objectives of their charters and Russian legislation.

According to the organization's website, it was registered with the Justice Ministry on December 23, 2009 as a non-profit partnership specializing in competition issues and works to participate in drafting an effective state policy with regard to protecting and encouraging competition and competition-related lawmaking.

The Justice Ministry took the decision to include the non-profit partnership into the register of NGOs acting as foreign agents on June 27, 2013.

According to the ministry, no more organizations have applied for registration since then. Meanwhile, the Prosecutor General's Office reported last year that 22 non-governmental organizations receiving finance from abroad strictly fall within the purview of law.