-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 22, 2000, 23:00 EST Press contact: Alyson Ewald, SEN, (978) 724-3443 (see below for more) US ENVIRONMENTALISTS EXPRESS DISMAY AT HARASSMENT OF RUSSIAN NGOs Petersham, MA - Today six US environmental organizations sent a letter to Acting Russian President Vladimir Putin expressing their dismay at the growing harassment of nongovernmental environmental organizations (NGOs) across Russia, and calling for Putin to respect the organizations' constitutional rights. After months of intimidation of environmental activists by the FSB (the former KGB) with accusations of espionage and terrorism, the Prosecutor General's Office on March 1 initiated sudden inspections of the activities and financial documents of environmental organizations. The Russian Duma is now considering altering the Russian Law on Citizens' Organizations, in order to limit the rights and freedoms of citizens' groups, and is reviewing a draft law that would expand the rights of the Prosecutor's Office, specifically allowing prosecutors to unilaterally close down unregistered nongovernmental organizations. "These new developments pose grave risks to the young Russian environmental movement," said Bill Pfeiffer, Executive Director of the Sacred Earth Network (SEN), who sponsored the letter. "It's extremely important for us to show our support for them in this sensitive moment." In the letter, the US groups called their Russian counterparts "heroes" and stated that "the present attempt to discredit and compromise such crucial members of Russian society will only weaken Russia's movement towards a democratic and sustainable future." Russian NGOs greeted the letter with enthusiasm. Aleksey Yablokov, President of the Center for Russian Environmental Policy, hailed it as "a welcome indication that the international community is watching what is happening here in Russia and is willing to go on record to support our rights." Five other leading environmental groups working in Russia joined SEN in signing the letter. They include the Initiative for Social Action and Renewal in Eurasia (ISAR), Bellona USA, Pacific Environment and Resources Center (PERC), the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), and the Earth Day 2000 Network. With Russian Presidential elections looming on Sunday, these organizations hope to bring pressure on Putin to improve his environmental record. For futher information, contact: Bill Pfeiffer, Executive Director, Sacred Earth Network (SEN) Alyson Ewald, Press Liaison, SEN (both Russian-speaking Americans) 267 East St. Petersham, MA 01366 USA tel. 978 724-3443 fax 978 724-3436 [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Eliza Klose (Russian-speaking American) Executive Director, Initiative for Social Action and Renewal in Eurasia (ISAR) 1601 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 301 Washington, DC 20009 tel. 202-387-3034 fax 202-667-3291 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thomas Jandl Director, Bellona USA P.O. Box 11835 Washington, D.C. 20008 Tel.: (202) 363-6810 Fax: (202) 363-9873 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Prof. Aleksey Yablokov (English-speaking Russian) President, Center for Russian Environmental Policy, and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Leninsky prospekt 33, rooms 325, 326 Moscow, Russia 117808 work tel. +7 (095) 952-8019; 952-2423; 947-1909 home tel. +7 (095) 203 5952 fax +7 (095) 952-3007; 947-1909 [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Vladimir Sliviak (English-speaking Russian) Director, Ecodefense! and Leading Antinuclear Campaigner for Socio-Ecological Union tel. +31 20 612-6368 (work) or +31 20 669-0305 (home) [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Vladimir has been working in Amsterdam for a few months after being interrogated and threatened by special police forces last fall.) Oleg Bodrov (English-speaking Russian) Executive Director, Green World P.O.Box 68/7 Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Oblast Russia 188544 tel. and fax +7 (81269) 4-9481 [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Green World's activities and finances were recently investigated.) ### the text of the groups' letter to Putin follows: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin Acting President and Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Krasnopresnenskaya nab. 2, 103274 Moscow, Russia 21 March 2000 Dear Mr. President: As representatives of nongovernmental organizations, we have been heartened by some of the recent events in your great country, from the steps that Russia has taken towards democracy to the developments in the application of the rule of law. Like the rest of the world, we have been following your statements supporting due process and the predictable application of laws, which, as you have pointed out yourself, both ensure the rights of individuals and attract foreign investment to Russia. Although we appreciate your support for these principles, we have been somewhat disappointed by recent activities of the FSB and the Prosecutor's Office which seem to contradict them. We are writing specifically to express our strong dismay at the growing harassment of nongovernmental environmental organizations in Russia. After months of the FSB's intimidation of environmental activists with accusations of espionage and terrorism, the Prosecutor General's Office initiated sudden inspections of the activities and financial documents of environmental organizations across the country. We understand that such investigations are necessary from time to time as part of the implementation of the law, but some of the investigations are clearly designed to harass these groups, not simply to determine whether their activities are legal. Nonprofit nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) like Green World, Sakhalin Environmental Watch, and Techa are working to solve Russia's serious environmental problems. They should be praised for this work, not persecuted. They are heroes, not "enemies of the people." The present attempt to discredit and compromise such crucial members of Russian society will only weaken Russia's movement towards a democratic and sustainable future. As we are sure you realize, citizens' organizations form the foundation of civil society. They are necessary for the proper functioning of the society and the protection of people's environmental and human rights. We have seen no evidence linking environmental organizations with espionage. In fact, environmentalists are the real patriots of Russia and our world. We are additionally disturbed to learn that the Russian Duma is considering altering the Russian Law on Citizens' Organizations, in order to limit the rights and freedoms of citizens' groups. We have also learned that it is reviewing a draft law that would expand the rights of the Prosecutor's Office, specifically allowing prosecutors to independently close down unregistered nongovernmental organizations. We feel that the Law on Citizens' Organizations should not be weakened in any way, nor should prosecutors have the right to unilaterally stop an NGO's work. We suggest that you consider instead the establishment of a Russian governmental foundation like those in many European countries, for financial support of citizens' organizations. The environmental movement would then not be so financially dependent on assistance from abroad. However, we have always considered Russian organizations to be our respected partners and colleagues, and we believe it is important for us to continue to support and assist each other. We call on you to use your moral and legal authority to stop all attempts to limit the Constitutional rights and freedoms of Russian citizens and environmental organizations. The organizations now being harassed are the very ones which could lead Russia toward a healthier, safer, and more promising future. Signed, Bill Pfeiffer Executive Director Sacred Earth Network Eliza K. Klose Executive Director Initiative for Social Action and Renewal in Eurasia (ISAR) Thomas Jandl Director Bellona USA David Gordon Director of Programs Pacific Environment and Resources Center Michael Mariotte Executive Director Nuclear Information and Resource Service Mark Dubois and Shalini Ramanathan International Coordinators Earth Day 2000 Network CC: Nikolai Platonovich Patrushev, Director of the FSB Vladimir Vasilievich Ustinov, Acting Prosecutor General Grigoriy Alekseevich Yavlinsky, Russian Deputy Sergei Sergeevich Mitrokhin, Russian Deputy Tatyana Vladimirovna Yarygina, Russian Deputy Dr. Aleksey Ivanovich Aleksandrov, Russian Deputy Rim Sagitovich Bakiyev, Russian Deputy Maksim Leonidovich Korobov, Russian Deputy Valentin Vasilyevich Luntsevich, Russian Deputy Artur Eldenovich Myaki, Russian Deputy Leon Fuerth, National Security Adviser to US Vice President Al Gore John Finerty, US Helsinki Caucus Staff Director His Excellency Yuriy Ushakov, Russian Ambassador to the US *-------------------------------------------------------------------* CivilSoc is an electronic information service provided free of charge to 1,600 subscribers worldwide by CCSI--Center for Civil Society International--in association with Friends & Partners. 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