Moscow says 'outraged' by US' hostile acts against Russian diaspora over FARA violation

After the Washington ordered the FBI to launch an investigation against at least 300 Russian Community Council of the USA (RCC) members over breach of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and the federal statutes relating to it, Russia on Thursday expressed outrage over the “US hostile actions.” Demanding that the US  immediately suspends the persecution of representatives of the Russian diaspora, the Russian embassy on Nov. 18 said that it was devastated due to the ongoing “unprecedented pressure on representatives of the Russian-speaking community by American authorities for several years.”

In a Facebook post, the Russian embassy slammed the FBI for conducting unauthorised searches and interrogations of Russian representatives, and for confiscating their personal devices and other things unlawfully. 

Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) is a United States law passed in 1938 requiring that agents representing the interests of foreign powers in a "political or quasi-political capacity" disclose their relationship with the foreign government and information about related activities and finances, according to US Department of Justice. FARA violation can lead to criminal liability resulting in 5 years of imprisonment in the US. 

"We are outraged by the hostile actions of the United States against our compatriots taken under the pretext of suspicion over the work in the United States without registration as foreign agents,” Embassy of Russia in the US said in a statement. 

“Our position on the cunning incidents of oppression of compatriots has repeatedly been brought to American authorities. However, officials continue to ignore our calls to provide the community with the basic rights, which are prescribed in the First Amendment to the US Constitution,” it added. 

Russia accused US of 'rough washing personal freedoms'

Accusing the US of “rough washing personal freedoms” of the Russians in America, the embassy further stated that Russia regards these actions on part of the FBI and US agencies as “unfriendly towards the Russian Federation.” Further the embassy asserted that the social activities of the Russian citizens in the US “are absolutely open and transparent,” adding that the information related to all the events are published on the websites and on social media. 

Lodging protest against the actions of the US, the Russian embassy stated that the Russian Community Council of the USA has an area of study that delves into the historical aspect and the role of Russian emigrants in developing the United States. The council works towards sharing the positive image of the US-Russia alliance since during World War II.

“Our compatriots highlight the positive aspects of Russian-American relations with the aim to strengthen mutual understanding between the Russians and the Americans and contribute to the normalization of bilateral ties,” it asserted. And launching an investigation on them, the Russian embassy stressed, is a gross violation of personal freedoms in a country [US] that claims to be titled a "stronghold of democracy". RCC announced on Thursday that it was temporarily suspending all its activities due to an FBI probe into alleged FARA violations. 

Russian Council stressed in a statement that it is "an informal organization that never engaged in any political activities, nor did it possess, receive, or give out any financial resources."