International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights could face insolvency

Major embezzlement discussed at Helsinki meeting - national committees not affected

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The coordinated activities of the various human rights committees that emerged as part of the "Spirit of Helsinki" of the 1975 Helsinki summit of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) could be in jeopardy after a major embezzlement was uncovered in the International Helsinki Federation for Human rights.
      A former IHF financial manager has reportedly admitted to having committed fraud and making unauthorised withdrawals worth about EUR 1.2 million over a number of years.
      The former manager has been arrested by Austrian police in Vienna, where the IHF has its headquarters.
      The Executive Director, treasurer, and entire Executive Committee of the federation have resigned because of the scandal.
     
"I do not know if the federation can continue its operations", said IHF chairman Ulrich Fischer on Friday at the federation's General Assembly in Helsinki. He said that General Assembly would be informed about the events and that those funding the activities have also been notified.
      Fischer says that EUR 1.2 million is equivalent to about one year's budget for the IHF. Under Austrian law, the federation has until the end of this month to come to an agreement with its creditors before the federation is put into liquidation.
     
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights has represented the 46 national Helsinki committees, and has organised their cooperation since 1982. The initiative for setting up the federation was made by Soviet nuclear physicist, dissident Andrei Sacharov.
      The first Helsinki Committee was set up as a dissident group in Moscow in 1976, soon after the Helsinki Summit of the OSCE. The committees had a key role in defending the implementation of the human rights clauses of the Final Act of the OSCE - a direct challenge to Europe's socialist countries.
      The present chair of the Moscow Helsinki Committee, Ljudmila Alexeyeva, emphasised in Helsinki on Friday that the difficulties experienced by the Federation do not in any way endanger the human rights work of the national committees.


Links:
  IHF: A Criminal Fraud Against the IHF Has Led to the Suspension of its Programme and Might Result in its Insolvency and Closure

Helsingin Sanomat