The Ministry of Justice slowed down the activity of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society and its partner organization Nizhniy Novgorod Human Rights Society. Russian NGOs are always being watched by Russian authorities, in particular those who criticize the government. Russian authorities try to find any reason to close those organizations that have their own opinion, because they see them as a threat. (27-JUNE-05)
The problems of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society began after the publication in their newspaper “Pravozaschita” two appeals from Chechen leaders. The first appeal was from Akhmed Zakaev, Aslan Maskhadov´s London-based envoy, to the Russian people not to re-elect President Putin (March 2004). The second was from the late Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov to the European Parliament in April-May 2004. He called for help to find a peaceful settlement of the Chechen conflict.
On 11 January 2005 a criminal investigation was opened against the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society. On 20 January 2005 a group of officers from the Federal Security Service entered into the organization’s office and took documents and computers. After that the director of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society, Stas Dimitrievsky, was ordered to come to the local FSB office for questioning. Following this, the employees of Russian-Chechen Friendship Society and its partner organization Nizhniy Novgorod Human Rights Society were obligated to come to the questioning FSB.
In the spring of 2005 the Prosecutor started a criminal case by fact of publication article 280 of the criminal code of the Russian Federation (calls for extreme activity using Mass-Media). After that a linguistic examination took place and the grounds of the criminal charges were changed from Article 280 to Article 282 of the Criminal Code (incitement of ethnic, racial or religious hatred or enmity). The appeals of the Chechen leaders were sent to the second linguistic expert and the results will be known in August 2005.
On the 3rd of June representatives of the Regional Department of the Ministry of Justice came to the office of the Nizhniy Novgorod Human Rights Society, the partner of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society. They requested the documentation of this organization which the director of this society didn’t want to give being sure that such a demand contradicted the Russian law of Public Associations. Then the Nizhniy Novgorod Ministry of Justice made an official decision to slow down the activity of the Nizhniy Novgorod Human Rights Society.
The employees of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society and Nizhniy Novgorod Human Rights Society are being threatened. They are worried and ask for help.
According to the opinion of the director of the Russian Research Center for Human Rights, Liubov Vinogradova (piture), it’s a typical example of how Russian state authorities harass and prosecute Russian human rights NGOs, especially those which deal with Chechnya–issues.
http://www.kavkaz.memo.ru/newstext/news/id/818715.html
Photo: Maria Paramonova
