Three months earlier, she had been verbally insulted by some members of parliament, who also distributed a booklet containing insults against her.90 • An NGO consisting of relatives of the victims of the terrorist attack in Beslan was the target of numerous acts of intimidation and defamation campaigns. The NGO advocated for an independent investigation into the attack. An administrative case was brought against one of the leaders of the NGO, along with two other members, for allegedly obstructing the court session that took place earlier in relation to those three individuals. The case was later dismissed. Another administrative case had been opened earlier against the head of the NGO following her participation in a rally. In addition, flyers were distributed in the town where the NGO operates, accusing the head of the NGO of “ serving foreign powers” . The prosecutor’ s office lodged a suit against the NGO for extremist activities, a charge linked to a statement made by the NGO two years earlier, when it called on the president of the country to launch an independent investigation into the assault that ended the terrorist attack and resulted in the deaths of many of the hostages. The prosecutor claimed that the NGO had made false accusations against the president. The authorities had also claimed earlier that the NGO in fact had a different head, and they therefore tried to re-register the organization under different leadership. There was a court ruling in this respect that was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court.91 • A gathering took place in front of a government building to protest the deterioration of the security situation in the city of Sarajevo and to call on the prime minister and mayor to resign. Violence broke out, and a member of a human rights movement was arrested and released a few hours later. Two days later, the authorities released a statement accusing two human rights groups of using the protest to destabilize the situation in the city.92 Abuse of charges • A local office of an international human rights NGO was accused by local authorities of “ illegal fundraising” , its bank accounts were frozen, and an administrative fine was imposed on the organization’ s chairperson for the same offence. The NGO faced legal proceedings on the basis of its street fundraising (outdoor fundraising campaign) activities and for requesting donations on its website. Both decisions were appealed by the NGO, but the cases remained unresolved.93 • A human rights NGO was given a warning following an ad hoc inspection by the authorities. The NGO challenged this in court, but lost the case. The reason for the unplanned check was revealed during the hearing: namely, that the NGO had
90 Human Rights Council, op. cit., note 34, para. 1751. Case of the Voice of Beslan (Russian Federation), Urgent Appeal, Observatory FIDH/OMCT, 22 April 2008. The government of the Russian Federation provided additional information about the administrative case in relation to the three members of the NGO and an attempt to institute a criminal case against them for disrespecting the trial proceedings instituted against them earlier. and for violence against a representative of the authorities. The investigation by the relevant prosecutor’ s office revealed that there was no reason to institute a criminal case, and the case was subsequently closed. The government of the Russian Federation also noted that a lawsuit against the NGO for extremist activities was suspended, and that the statement published by the NGO was had been sent for an expert assessment in order to establish whether it contained “ linguistic features of extremism” . 92 Case of Dosta and Grozd (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Information provided by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, based on information received from NGOs, the published statement of the Canton Sarajevo, (entity of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina) and a statement from the activist who was arrested and later released. 93 Case of Amnesty International (Turkey), “ Legal proceedings against Amnesty International Turkey should stop” , Amnesty International, 22 June 2007; Amnesty International, op. cit., note 56, p. 303. 91 22