! ! ! Governor!of!the!Voronezh!region! Aleksey!Gordeev! Russia,!Voronezh,!394018,!Lenina!square!1.! fax!!(473)!213G66G04! [email protected]! ! Копия:!Уполномоченному!по!правам!человека!! в!Воронежской!области!Зражевской!Т.Д.!! 394018,(Россия,(Воронеж,(ул.(Пушкинская,(12( [email protected]!! Уполномоченному!по!правам!человека!! в!Российской!Федерации!Лукину!В.П.! 101000,!г.!Москва,!ул.!Мясницкая,!д.!47! [email protected]!!! Председателю!Совета!при!Президенте!РФ!! по!развитию!гражданского!общества!и!правам!человека,!! советнику!Президента!РФ!Федотову!М.А.! 103132,!Россия,!город!Москва,!Старая!площадь,!дом!4! Факс!8!(495)!606G48G55!! [email protected][email protected]! ! 14!August!2013! ! Dear!Mr.!Gordeev,! ! We,$ the$ undersigned$ members$ and$ partners$ of$ the$ Human$ Rights$ House$ Network$ (HRHN),$ express$ our$ deep$ concern$ over$ the$ actions$ taken$ by$ the$ Municipality$ that$ result$in$the$fact,$that$the$Human$Rights$House$Voronezh,$one$of$HRHN’s$members$may$ be$let$without$premises.! The! Human! Rights! House! Voronezh! is! located! in! Tsyurupy! 34.! The! rent! contract! for! the! Human!Rights!House!Voronezh!is!signed!by!two!independent!human!rights!organisations,!the! International!Youth!Human!Rights!Movement!and!the!Confederation!of!Free!Labor.!On!17!and! 22!May!2013,!the!two!organisations!received!information!from!the!Department!of!Property! and!Estate!Relations!of!the!Voronezh!City!Administration!that!their!leases!had!been!ceased! and!that!they!were!to!leave!the!premises.!The!official!reason!cited!in!the!local!media!is!that!the! building!shall!be!used!as!a!youth!centre.! On!13!August!2013,!our!partners!at!the!Human!Rights!House!Voronezh!learned!from!the!local! authorities!of!Voronezh!that!the!final!decision!not!to!prolong!the!rental!agreement!with!the! Human!Rights!House!Voronezh!had!been!taken!despite!appeals!from!numerous!national!and! international!organizations.!The!municipal!authorities!decided!to!cease!the!rental!agreement! under!the!pretext!of!creating!a!municipal!youth!centre.!Our!partners!have!been!told!that!the! facilities!used!by!the!Human!Rights!House!Voronezh!today!are!the!only!possible!location!for!

the! youth! centre,! which! already! exists! and! functions.! Furthermore,! no! relocation! offer! has! been!made!to!the!NGOs!working!at!the!Human!Rights!House!Voronezh.! The! organizations! in! the! Human! Rights! House! Voronezh! have! been! located! in! the! actual! premises! for! over! 16! years;! The! Human! Rights! House! consists! of! several! organisations! working! to! ensure! protection! of! the! rights! of! citizens! and! the! promotion! of! human! rights,! including!youth!organisations.!The!activities!of!the!participating!organisations!of!the!Human! Rights!House!Voronezh!are!known!both!in!the!Russian!Federation!and!abroad,!confirming!the! crucial! role! of! civil! society! organisations! in! promoting! mutual! understanding! and! trust! between!the!State!and!civil!society.! During!the!last!years,!the!work!of!the!Human!Rights!House!Voronezh!contributed!greatly!to! the! city! of! Voronezh.! As! an! example,! in! April! 2011,! the! International! Youth! Human! Rights! Movement! organised! the! conference! of! the! INGO! of! the! Council! of! Europe,! attended! by! organisations!from!all!over!the!Russian!Federation,!including!the!Federal!Ombudsman!Office! and! the! Regional! Ombudsman.! The! Human! Rights! House! Voronezh! performs! services! of! public! utility! in! the! interest! of! the! community! of! Voronezh! and! of! the! entire! Russian! civil! society.!Thanks!to!the!Human!Rights!House!Voronezh,!film!directors,!public!figures,!including! academic!experts,!musicians!and!artists!from!the!Russian!Federation!and!other!countries!visit! Voronezh.! The!work!of!our!colleagues!in!Voronezh!is!widely!recognised!and!internationally!respected.! Members! of! the! Human! Rights! House! Voronezh! have! become! renowned! experts! on! human! rights! issues! internationally,! especially! within! the! Council! of! Europe,! including! its! International!NGO!Conference.! A! possible! eviction! of! the! Human! Rights! House! Voronezh! will! not! only! damage! the! entire! group!of!organisations!sharing!the!premises!but!also!negatively!affect!the!citizens!of!Voronezh! who!are!in!need!of!assistance.! In! 2009! and! 2010,! there! were! attempts! to! evict! the! Human! Rights! House! Voronezh! but! International! Youth! Human! Rights! Movement! and! the! Confederation! of! Free! Labor! successfully!negotiated!their!rental!agreements!for!a!new!period!until!2013,!which!were!then! extended!until!2017.! The! new! attempt! to! evict! the! Human! Rights! House! Voronezh! is! even! more! worrying! nowadays,! given! the! situation! faced! by! independent! human! rights! organisations! in! the! Russian!Federation.!On!14!May!2013,!three!United!Nations!independent!human!rights!experts! expressed!serious!concern!at!the!“obstructive,!intimidating!and!stigmatizing!effects”!brought! about!by!the!new!legislations!on!NGO’s!and!declared!as!unacceptable!this!increasingly!hostile! environment!for!NGOs.1! The!Human!Rights!House!Voronezh!has!been!a!member!of!the!Human!Rights!House!Network! since! 2012.! The! Network! unites! 87! human! rights! NGOs! joining! forces! in! 18! independent! Human! Rights! Houses! in! 13! countries! in! Western! Balkans,! Eastern! Europe! and! South! Caucasus,!East!and!Horn!of!Africa,!and!Western!Europe.!HRHN’s!aim!is!to!protect,!empower! and!support!human!rights!organisations!locally!and!unite!them!in!an!international!network!of! Human!Rights!Houses.$ We,$ the$ undersigned$ members$ and$ partners$ of$ the$ Human$ Rights$ House$ Network,$ therefore$urge$you$to$ensure$that$the$Voronezh$city$district$administration$cancels$the$ termination$ of$ the$ rent$ agreements$ or$ extends$ the$ rent$ agreement$ with$ the$

1! !United!Nations!press!release:! http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13323&LangID= E! 2

International$ Youth$ Human$ Rights$ Movement$ and$ the$ Confederation$ of$ Free$ Labor.$ Alternatively,$ we$ call$ upon$ your$ administration$ to$ provide$ similar$ facilities$ in$ a$ comparable$ area$ of$ the$ city,$ which$ for$ the$ same$ rent$ would$ meet$ the$ needs$ of$ all$ members$of$the$Human$Rights$House$Voronezh.$ Given$ the$ particular$ importance$ of$ the$ work$ done$ by$ the$ Human$ Rights$ House$ Voronezh$in$your$city,$we$also$believe$a$free$rent$agreement$should$be$offered$to$the$ Human$Rights$House$Voronezh.$! In! line! with! your! mandate! and! with! the! United! Nations! Declaration! on! Human! Rights! Defenders2,!this!would!be!important!support!to!nationally!and!internationally!recognised!and! respected!human!rights!defenders!and!their!NGOs.!It!is!also!a!way!of!fulfilling!your!obligations! under!international!human!rights!law,!by!creating!a!safe!and!enabling!environment!in!which! human!rights!defenders!can!operate!free!from!hindrance!and!insecurity,!in!the!whole!country! and!in!all!sectors!of!society,!including!by!extending!support!to!local!human!rights!defenders,! as!stated!by!the!United!Nations!Human!Rights!Council!in!its!resolution!on!protecting!human! rights!defenders!adopted!unanimously!on!21!March!2013.$ $ Yours!sincerely,! ! Russian!Research!Center!for!Human!Rights!(on!behalf!of!the!following!NGOs):! - Human!Rights!Network!Group! - Independent!Psychiatric!Association!of!Russia! - Moscow!Centre!for!Prison!Reform! - Moscow!Helsinki!Group! - Mother's!Right!Foundation! - NonGviolence!International! - Right!of!the!Child! - Right!to!Live!and!have!Civil!Dignity! - Social!Partnership!Foundation! - Union!of!the!Committees!of!Soldiers'!Mothers!of!Russia!! ! Human!Rights!House!Oslo!(on!behalf!of!the!following!NGOs):! - Human!Rights!House!Foundation! - Norwegian!Helsinki!Committee! - Norwegian!Tibet!Committee! ! Human!Rights!House!Azerbaijan!(on!behalf!of!the!following!NGOs):! - Association!for!the!Protection!of!Women’s!Rights!after!D.!Aliyeva!(APWR)! - Azerbaijan!Lawyers!Association! - Human!Rights!Centre!of!Azerbaijan!(AHRC)! - Institute!for!Reporters’!Freedom!and!Safety!(IRFS)! - Legal!Education!Society! - Media!Rights!Institute! - Women’s!Association!for!Rational!Development!(WARD)! !

2! !Declaration!on!the!Right!and!Responsibility!of!Individuals,!Groups!and!Organs!of!Society!to!Promote!and! Protect!Universally!Recognized!Human!Rights!and!Fundamental!Freedoms!adopted!by!the!General!Assembly!on! 9!December!1998. 3

Human!Rights!House!Tbilisi!(on!behalf!of!the!following!NGOs):! - Article!42!of!the!Constitution!! - The!Caucasian!Centre!for!Human!Rights!and!Conflict!Studies!(CAUCASIA)! - The! Georgian! Centre! for! Psychosocial! and! Medical! Rehabilitation! of! Torture! Victims! (GCRT)! - The!Human!Rights!Centre!(HRIDC)!! - Union!‘Saphari’!–!Family!Without!Violence! ! Human!Rights!House!Yerevan!(on!behalf!of!the!following!NGOs)!! - Helsinki!Citizens’!Assembly!Vanadzor!! - Journalists’!Club!“Asparez”!! - The!Helsinki!Association!for!Human!Rights!! - Democracy!Today!! ! Helsinki!Foundation!for!Human!Rights!(Poland)! ! Human!Rights!Network!Uganda!(HURINETGU)! ! Documenta!–!Centre!for!Dealing!with!the!Past!(Croatia,!Human!Rights!House!Zagreb)! ! Helsinki!Committee!for!Human!Rights!in!Serbia!(Serbia)! ! The!Rafto!Foundation!for!Human!Rights!(Norway)!!! ! Copies(have(been(sent(to:( ( • The!Directorate!General!of!Human!Rights!and!Legal!Affairs!of!the!Council!of!Europe,! Strasbourg!! • The!Office!of!the!Commissioner!for!Human!Rights!of!the!Council!of!Europe,!Strasbourg! • The!UN!Special!Rapporteur!on!the!Situation!of!Human!Rights!Defenders,!Geneva! • The! Office! for! Democratic! Institutions! and! Human! Rights! of! the! Organisation! for! Security!and!Cooperation!in!Europe!(OSCE!ODIHR),!Warsaw!and!Russian!Federation! • The!Delegation!of!the!European!Union!in!Russian!Federation$! • The!Subcommittee!on!Human!Rights!of!the!European!Parliament,!Brussels! • The!Norwegian!Ministry!of!Foreign!Affairs! • The!Standing!Committee!for!Foreign!Affairs!of!the!Norwegian!Parliament! • The!Norwegian!Embassy!in!Moscow! • The!Norwegian!delegation!to!OSCE! • The!Swiss!Ministry!of!Foreign!Affairs! ! About$the$Human$Rights$House$Network$(www.humanrightshouse.org)$ The! Human! Rights! House! Network! is! a! forum! of! cooperation! between! established! and! emerging!Human!Rights!Houses,!uniting!87!NGOs!in!13!countries!in!Western!Balkans,!Eastern! Europe!and!South!Caucasus,!East!and!Horn!of!Africa,!and!Western!Europe.!HRHN´s!aim!is!to! protect,!strengthen!and!support!human!rights!defenders!and!their!organizations.!The!Human! Rights!House!Foundation,!based!in!Oslo!(Norway)!and!Geneva!(Switzerland),!is!the!secretariat! of!the!Human!Rights!House!Network.!

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