Freedom house: Shuttering of International Youth Human Rights Movement by Russian Court Highlights Ongoing Loss of Independent Voices in Russia
Îďóáëčęîâŕíî 17.08.2007 The Budapest-based human rights organization Freedom House Europe today strongly condemned the closing down of the International Youth Human Rights Movement (YHRM) by a Nizhniy Novgorod court at the demand of Russia’s Federal Registration Service (FRS).
YHRM, one of the most active human rights organizations in Russia and the NIS, is accused of failing to submit its annual report to the Nizhniy Novgorod branch of the FRS. Under Russia’s new NGO law, failing to file periodical reports is grounds for the courts to declare an organization ‘inactive’ and strip it of its legal status.
Speaking from Moscow, YHRM’s Coordinator of Legal Programs, Dimitry Makarov, said the reasons cited by the court do not stand up to closer scrutiny.
“YHRM was previously re-registered at the central branch of the FRS in Moscow and that is where we have submitted our report,” he said, adding that the procedure highlights the incompetence of the authorities.
In addition, while the court’s decision was taken on June 13, YHRM representatives did not learn of it until August 8, due to court hearings having been conducted behind closed doors and YHRM not having been notified at its officially registered Moscow address.
“This court decision is only the latest manifestation of the ongoing and deplorable crackdown on independent civil society organizations by the Kremlin prior to the approaching Duma and presidential elections,” said Roland Kovats, director of Freedom House Europe.
Alyona Ob’ezdchikova, chair of YHRM’s Coordination Council, also stressed that her organization’s case is far from unique.
“There is a growing trend across Russia to limit the constitutional right to freedom of association. Driven by the Kremlin, through its heavy-handed use of the new legislation on nonprofit organizations, the authorities and the courts have been empowered to close down any organization for trivial administrative reasons,” said Ms. Ob’ezdchikova.
The NGO law came into effect on April 18 and now regulates the activity of over 500,000 NGOs in Russia. As feared, the regulations issued by government agencies in response to the law have introduced harsh restrictions on NGO activities.
The heavy administrative demands the law places on organizations make it difficult for many of them to cope with the extra workload, yet the law provides for heavy sanctions against those failing to meet its countless requirements.
As Freedom House’s annual assessment of democratization in Central Europe and Eurasia Nations in Transit this year observed, “The new legislation on NGOs clearly shows that the state has little interest in promoting freedom of assembly among Russian citizens, creating instead a climate of fear and intimidation that bodes ill for the future.”
Freedom House’s annual global assessment of political rights and civil liberties, Freedom in the World, ranks Russia as “Not Free.”
The Youth Human Rights Movement, established in 1998 by a small group of activists, today unites more than one thousand young human rights defenders and other civic activists across Russia, as well as from other countries such as Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia and Georgia.
Freedom House Europe is a registered Hungarian organization dedicated to promoting democratization in the greater European region. http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=70&release=541 «« chronicle of defence »» |
