Helsinki Committee Was Refused to Register Foreign Gratuitous Help :: Charter'97 :: News

In April this year the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC), in line with Belarusian legislation, submitted documents for registration of financial aid of USD 1,000, received from International Helsinki Federation, which full member the BHC is, to the Department on Humanitarian Activities of the Administrative department of presidential affairs, in order to clear the aid from taxes. As stated in the plan, the aid was intended for organizations’ activities under its statute: rent of the office, phone, annual congress, stationary goods. By the letter of June 10 the Department informed: “It is impossible to comply with your request, as the aims for which the foreign aid is to be used, does not correspond to the aims indicated in the paragraph 4 of the presidential decree of 28.11.2003, “On receiving and use of gratuitous foreign aid”.

As a result, the BHC in fact was prohibited to use money received from foreign partners for support of its human rights activities, and has to send the money back.