Russian Legislators Approve Greater Government Control Over the Internet and Nonprofits

A series of initiatives have been introduced as President Vladimir V. Putin begins a six-year term, facing an increasingly assertive opposition. The government has imposed draconian fines for people who participate in unsanctioned protests, and legislators voted to reinstitute criminal charges for slander, rolling back a reform adopted seven months ago by Dmitri A. Medvedev, Mr. Putin’s predecessor.

The bills approved on Wednesday would allow the government to block Web sites deemed dangerous to children and require nonprofits to identify themselves as “foreign agents” if they receive financing from outside Russia and are considered by the government to be engaged in political activities.

“In just two months, we have seen a worrying shift in the legislative environment governing the enjoyment of the freedoms of assembly, association, speech and information in the Russian Federation,” said Navi Pillay, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, in a statement released in Geneva.

The criminalization of slander, she said, could “stifle all criticism of government authorities and limit the ability of individuals to address issues of transparency, corruption and abuse of power.”

“I urge the government of the Russian Federation to avoid taking further steps backward to a more restrictive era,” she added, urging officials to soften the laws passed in recent weeks.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry responded angrily.

“We consider Ms. Pillay’s statement as unbefitting to her status as high commissioner and attempts to publicly accuse the leaders of the Russian state of failing to carry out some kinds of ‘promises’ — as outside the framework of diplomatic ethics,” the ministry said in a statement.

The law on nonprofits — which passed with a vote of 141 to 1, with one abstention — has alarmed a variety of business, charity and religious groups, uncertain whether they will have to carry the label “foreign agent,” a term that invokes cold war espionage. A lawmaker tried to calm those fears in a meeting for nonprofit leaders held by the American Chamber of Commerce, saying the law would be applied only to nonprofits attempting to “change the political system.”

“We understand that events have begun to take place at a faster rate, that the degree of tension in society is growing,” said a United Russia deputy, Aleksandr Petrov, an author of recent amendments to the bill.

“We have one goal: to try, with the help of a number of laws, to create a certain stability, to provide for the integrity of the Russian Federation,” he said. “Yes, there should be political activity, but it should not be allowed to rock the boat which is called Russia.”

Officials have repeatedly suggested that the antigovernment protests of the last six months were financed by foreign governments, and the new law requires nonprofits to deliver detailed accounting to the Ministry of Justice. Mr. Petrov said his suspicions were validated when police seized more than $1 million in cash from a safe in the home of Kseniya Sobchak, a television star and opposition leader. Ms. Sobchak has said the money was her savings.

“According to operative information, which is being discussed now, it was intended to be used for rallies,” he said. “Why must such amounts circulate on the basis of gray schemes? Why can’t this money be officially given to the opposition and show that the money has been given?”

The Internet legislation passed equally swiftly, with a vote of 147 lawmakers in favor, 3 abstaining and none opposed.