Tax evasion as a Russian pretext for persecuting human rights activists in Chechnya

Tax evasion is being used as a pretext for persecuting human rights activists in Chechnya. This charge was made by the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) in the light of the court case against the organising secretary of the human rights organisation "Russo-Chechnyan Friendship Society” and the editor of the newspaper "Law and Protection”, Stanislav Dmitrievski, which begins on Wednesday in Nizhny Novgorod. His society was called upon on 16th June 2005 by the tax authorities to pay 35,000 US dollars income tax due for the years 2002 to 2004. It has appealed against this ruling. The human rights organisation finances its work with monies from the European Commission and US American sponsors.

"Now the few plucky human rights workers who at the risk of their own lives dare to break the blockade against information from Chechnya are to be silenced” warned the GfbV Caucasus expert Sarah Reinke on Tuesday in Göttingen. Since 1994 at least 13 human rights activists have been killed, some of whom being members of the "Society for Russo-Chechnyan Friendship”. The Society documents and publishes news on severe infringements of human rights in Chechnya and supports relatives of persons who have "disappeared” in the search for those who had been carried off.

The tax office bases its demand on the society on a law, according to which 24 percent of foreign income must be paid in Russian tax. Three is however a list of all the foreign organisations which are exempted from paying this tax, among them being the European Commission. So the first appeal of the Society against this tax demand was granted in the first instance. Simultaneously however, reports Reinke, the charge is made that the monies received from the European Commission were not used in accordance with the Russian tax laws. The money was used for publications and not for education, culture, art and environment projects, as the regulations require. The human rights organisation has also appealed against this ruling. Nevertheless the entire funds of the organisation have been confiscated.