The Society for the Russian-Chechen Friendship, a human rights NGO monitoring human rights violations in Chechnya, is threatened with closure by the Russian government. SRCF
The Society for Russian-Chechen Friendship is a honored human rights NGO which has been active in denouncing human rights violations in Chechnya for the past five years. The SRCF was given a prestigious human rights award by the International Helsinki Federation. For its courageous activity of information, in the period from 2000 to 2004, four volunteers working for the Society for Russian-Chechen Friendship were killed, and in at least two of the incidents there was indisputable evidence that they were executed without trial by members of the Russian forces. The Russian government and its secret services (FSB) are now doing their utmost to close down the SRCF.
Its destiny depends also from the external moral and informative support of the outer world. The more the case of the SRCF becomes known and is supported from the international community and the mass media and more likely is it to avoid its closure. Link this page or their website and talk about the case of the SRCF in your website, blog and mailing lists. Inform the press and let the world know and invite others to do so!
For the press, to know all the details regarding the case of the SRCF: click here. ................................................................................................................................................................................ From a personal account of Oksana Chelysheva, editor of The Society for Russian-Chechen Friendship - 14 Mar 2005.
"Actually, we have had serious problems with the FSB and our authorities since 11 January 2005 when they opened a criminal case against us. The pressure is enormous, both imposed by the authorities and different media outlets. Besides, in Nizhny Novgorod the authorities initiated the following actions against the RCFS:
- Extraordinary checking of the documentation by the Main Department of Registration Board at the Justice Ministry of the Russian Federation (it started on 28 February 2005). The previous checking was done in July 2004. The organization didn’t receive any warnings.
- Checking of the organization by the Tax Inspection. The Ministry of Justice demanded to provide them with a number of documents that exceeds the framework of the “Law on Public Organizations” of the Russian Federation. We are going to turn to court regarding this. The same measures have been undertaken against Nizhny Novgorod Society for Human Rights, which is our partner organization. This organization allows us the use of its premises for our office. It also renders the opportunity to publish articles on Chechnya in the newspaper it established.
Oksana Chelysheva, editor of The Society for Russian-Chechen Friendship.
To read the press releases of the SRCF on human rights violations in Chechnya (and all the archives) in English language: click here.
For more information contact the SRCF at: friend@sinn.ru http://www.hrvc.net/main.htm http://www.hrvc.net/htmls/srcf.html
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