The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. Foto: PRIMA News Agency

Moscow / Frankfurt am Main (January 24, 2007) - Neglecting the international appeals of numerous NGOs, Parliamentarians, prominent politicians and journalists, on January 23rd the Russian Supreme Court confirmed the Local Court of Nizhni Novgorod's verdict on the closure of the "Society for Russian-Chechen Friendship". According to ISHR the verdict is a warning for all non-governmental organisations (NGOs). "The Society for Russian-Chechen Friendship had prepared a lawsuit against Russia in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the murder, torture and displacement of civilians in Chechnya. Government critical associations are in danger of being involved in trials like this one to then 'legally' be closed according to the new NGO law", stated Karl Hafen, executive director of ISHR. "This is another stroke against civil society structures and respect for human rights in Russia."

The director of this Russian NGO, Stanislav Dmitrievski, was sentenced to two years on probation in an earlier verdict for the publication of two appeals in the newspaper "defence and recovery" under the accusation of "incitement of hostility and xenophobia". One of these appeals, by former Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, was addressed to the European Parliament with the request to take more action for peace in Chechnya. The other appeal by Maskhadov's Vice-President addressed the Russian people and called upon them to not vote for Putin in the next elections. Later on Dmitrievski was accused of diverting EU-assistance and back duty was claimed.

According to Russia's new NGO law, the closure of this respective NGO is the legal consequence of an executive board member's conviction. It can be prevented if the executive board member is excluded from the organisation. ISHR warns: "This opens doors for arbitrary accusations of Russian civil society organisations" board members, in order to "legally" get rid of them and to hinder the distribution of uncomfortable opinions". Furthermore ISHR considers this verdict as a sign for Russian government's pursuit to restrict NGOs' freedoms.

A Russian ISHR member was outraged after the Supreme Court's verdict: "Our 'guardian of the Constitution' (President Putin) turned it into a declaration. Our State Duma's hobby, the fight against extremism, leads to the adoption of anti-society laws, e.g. the NGO law. Hereby Russian society is deprived of its democratic control over the powerful. The Supreme Court's verdict creates fear and this fear is laming. Through the unsolved murder of Russian journalists, the press is intimidated."

ISHR therefore calls upon all Parliaments and EU governments, to engage with Russia's President Putin because of this verdict and to urge him to respect human rights.