22:15, 11 December 2006

Russian human rights activists will demand cancellation of the NGO Law

Russian human rights activists will strive for cancellation the Law on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) as being non-constitutional. The decision was made on Sunday at the 2nd Congress of Human Rights Activists in Moscow, the Radio "Liberty" informs.

At the Congress, Liudmila Alekseeva, head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, reported that the delegates had also adopted a number of resolutions: on situation in North Caucasus, army problems, on violations of human rights by law enforcement bodies, in support of victims of terror acts. Ms. Alekseeva offered human rights activists and oppositional parties to unite their efforts in defending citizens' rights.

In April, the authorities toughened regulations of NGO operation, having stated that a number of them - in breach of legislation - were influenced by foreign governments. NGOs think that the Kremlin seeks to liquidate unwanted organizations.