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English Language Page MOSCOW HELSINKI GROUP THE OLDEST OF ALL THE RUSSIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS NOW ACTIVE FOUNDED ON MAY 12, 1976 BACKGROUND 1976 - 1982 On August 1, 1975, the Helsinki Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe ended. By signing the Final Act of the Conference, the leaders of the USSR undertook to abide by certain international standards in the sphere of human rights. On May 12, 1976, on the initiative of a prominent physicist and human rights activist, Yuri Orlov, the Moscow Helsinki Group (MHG) was created to support the USSRЎ¦s compliance with the humanitarian articles of the Final Act. The first members of this non-governmental, independent public association were Ludmilla Alexeeva, Mikhail Bernshtam, Yelena Bonner, Alexander Ginzburg, Pyotr Grigorenko, Alexander Korchak, Malva Landa, Anatoly Marchenko, Yuri Orlov (Chair), Vitaly Rubin and Anatoly Shcharansky. In the course of its activity, the MHG issued 195 informational and analytical documents and a number of announcements and statements on violations of the Helsinki Accords in the USSR. Following the MHG example, similar associations were created in Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine and Lithuania. In the early 1980s, the International Helsinki Federation was founded. From the very first days of its existence, the MHG was persecuted by the Soviet authorities. Many old and new members of the group were arrested and sentenced to prison terms and/or internal exile; others were forced to emigrate. In 1982, reduced to three active members, the MHG announced its own dissolution in light of the never-ceasing campaign of repression. 1989... On July 28, 1989, human rights activists Larisa Bogoraz, Sergei Kovalev, Vyatcheslav Bakhmin, Alexei Smirnov, Lev Timofeev, and Boris Zolotukhin announced the re-establishment of the Moscow Helsinki Group. Yuri Orlov, Ludmilla Alexeeva and Kronid Lyubarsky joined them. In 1990 - 1993, Larisa Bogoraz organized a series of six seminars for human rights activists from different regions of Russia. These seminars ensured the continuity of the human rights movement by teaching its history, philosophy, problems and achievements. In 1996, at the Jubilee Conference on the 20th anniversary of its creation, the MHG announced a new work strategy: Well-rounded service and support for regional human rights organizations and their human rights initiatives became the MHGЎ¦s chief priority. LEADERS OF THE MHG Yuri Orlov (1976 - 1982) Larisa Bogoraz (1989 - 1993) Kronid Lyubarsky (1993 - 1996) Ludmilla Alexeeva (1996 - to the present) GOALS The principal goals of the Moscow Helsinki Group are: NETWORK OF REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Today in Russia there exists a network of human rights organizations that covers all the regions of the RF. Most of the MHG projects target close cooperation with regional partners. Over 100 regional human rights organizations participate in joint projects with the MHG. The number of regional organizations with which the MHG maintains contacts is already more than 1500. The MHG possesses a regularly up-dated and expanding database on over 2000 provincial human rights organizations. MONITORING For the first time in the history of the Russian human rights movement, the MHG is carrying out a human rights monitoring program in all the regions of the Russian Federation. This project follows the model developed by the MHG: a strong Moscow-based organization develops a methodological foundation for a monitoring program and drafts all-Russia reports. Local organizations monitor the human rights situation in their respective regions in accordance with that methodology, and draft regional reports on their findings. Annually, the MHG publishes a multi-volume collection of reports entitled "Human Rights in Russian Regions", comprising reports by the MHG regional partners and a comprehensive all-Russia report by the MHG. In addition, the MHG has carries out topical monitoring projects and published comprehensive reports on such issues as violations of legislation on elections and the status of women. Currently, the MHG in cooperation with, the International Helsinki Federation, the Polish Helsinki Foundation, the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and regional human rights organizations in all the subjects of the Russian Federation is conducting a two-year program that involves four thematic monitoring efforts accompanied by release of reports based on monitoring findings and active public campaigning. The first two topics, those selected for the year 2002, are (1) xenophobia, nationalism, intolerance and (2) situation in the penitentiary facilities. Monitoring findings are disseminated through local, all-Russia and foreign mass media. The reports are submitted to federal-level and regional-level power bodies and to Russia's partner-states in the OSCE and the Council of Europe. The reports are also sent to libraries, research institutes, universities, schools and public organizations interested in human rights problems. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM Within the framework of the MHG educational program, the following projects are underway: This joint project with the University of Nottingham (UK) targets the development of training courses and a well-rounded manual to assist non-government organizations working in the field of human rights monitoring in the RF. This project targets preparation of trainers for regional human rights schools in Russia and Belarus and conduction of workshops for NGOs with the engagement of these trainers. It is being carried out in cooperation with the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and the Polish Helsinki Committee. This project aims at providing comprehensive basic human rights training to activists from new regional human rights organizations and young people that recently joined human rights organizations. Also, in 1999 - 2002, the Moscow Helsinki Group held over 30 seminars for several hundreds of human rights activists from different regions of the Russian Federation. The lectures were given and the discussions led by prominent human rights activists, specialists in the international system of human rights defense, and experts on criminal and civil law. NETWORKING ACTIVITIESM Since 2000, networking has been one of the top priorities of the MHG. In addition to assisting to the building of a Russia-wide network of action-based regional coalitions of NGOs and helping these coalitions organizationally, technically and creatively in carrying out public campaigns on human rights, womenЎ¦s and ecological issues of high significance, the MHG is an active member of the Network of Russian NGOs against Racism and Network of Russian NGOs for Economic and Social Rights. PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS In 2000, the MHG has selected as one of its priorities the problem of public relations for human rights organizations. In this light, the MHG has been carrying out two projects: This project conducted in cooperation with the Netherlands Helsinki Committee is aimed at teaching Russian regional human rights activists the skills of effectively interacting with media and drawing the attention of journalists to human rights problem. Under this project a small production unit was created within the MHG to promote human rights on federal and local TV and make educational films for provincial human rights activists. The MHG production unit has been actively working since summer 2001. BULLETIN "CHRONICLE OF THE MOSCOW HELSINKI GROUP" Since June 1996, the MHG has regularly published the bulletin "Chronicle of the Moscow Helsinki Group" (prior to 1999 - "Chronicle of Current Events"). This monthly informational publication is devoted to three main themes: The Information Center for the Human Rights Movement, founded by the MHG, takes an active part in compiling and disseminating the "Chronicle of the Moscow Helsinki Group". The bulletin's print-run is 2 000 copies and it is circulated free-of-charge. Over 1 500 copies are sent to human rights organizations in most of the regions of the Russian Federation, as well as to libraries and mass-media bodies; the rest are distributed at human rights conferences and seminars. The bulletin's electronic version is featured in the Internet. GRATIS LEGAL AID The MHG public legal aid office was founded in 1997 in order to render gratis legal assistance to the poor and socially unprotected sectors of the population. In addition to giving legal consultations, the office staff help to draft bills of complaints and petitions, represent their clients in courts and other state-power bodies located in Moscow, and give written advice in response to citizensЎ¦ letters. Up to 100 persons per week are assisted by the MHG public legal aid office. Two-thirds of the visitors are Muscovites and one-third are from other regions of the RF and from the newly independent states. COOPERATION WITH HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS FROM THE CIS Over 20 human rights organizations from across the CIS regularly receive from the MHG the informational bulletin and other materials issued or disseminated by it, including useful legal and human rights publications and data on charity foundations. In order to gather and spread accurate information on the human rights situation in the countries of Caucasus and Central Asia, the MHG has been carrying out the project "Political and Religious Persecution in the CIS Countries". Local monitors and human rights activists from nine states (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenia, Uzbekistan) regularly supply the MHG with data on political and religious persecution and on the current human rights situation in their respective countries. On the basis of these communications, the monthly bulletin "News Round-Up" is issued and disseminated in both print and electronic versions. Each issue is accompanied by a significant number of documents and other materials in electronic format. Among the bulletin's recipients are information agencies, TV companies, radio stations, Moscow newspapers and magazines, press services of foreign embassies, foreign mass-media bodies, and regional human rights organizations. INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES With the assistance of the IHF and independently, the MHG has been actively working with the international power agencies within the UN, OSCE and the Council of Europe so as to ensure that adequate pressure is rendered by the governments of Western democracies on the Russian state with regards to improving the human rights situation in the contemporary Russia. Representatives of the MHG have participated in the World Conference Against Racism (August - September 2001), in the last three annual sessions of the UN Commission on Human Rights, and in numerous international conferences, workshops and fora. The MHG has been providing up-dated information on the human rights situation in Russia on a range of special rapporteurs and structures of the United Nations and Council of Europe. Back |
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