 • Human Rights Defenders in the OSCE Region matters.73 Other human rights defenders were reportedly under surveillance by the security services.74 7. Harassment and visits by unknown individuals. NGOs were visited and harassed by unknown individuals. One human rights NGO was visited by a group of three men dressed in camouflage uniforms who refused to disclose their identities or present documents attesting to their exact role, and who demanded to know details about the organization’s activities.75 73 8. Misuse of fiscal provisions. NGOs faced abuse of fiscal procedures and provisions by prosecutors, where it was claimed that they owed taxes on income that was not taxable or was exempt under national law.76 They were also the subject of scrutiny by tax authorities without any clear legal basis.77 9. Defamation campaigns. NGOs were often subjected to defamation campaigns. One high-level government representative described NGOs as a “fifth column”78 and called for an investigation into all NGOs registered in the country that received foreign funding to determine whether they posed a threat to “national security”.79 This threat was never carried out. In another participating State, the prosecutor-general ordered prosecutors in several municipalities to monitor the links between LGBT-rights organizations and organized crime and to monitor their activities in schools.80 A prosecutor in Case of Aziza Abdurasulova, op. cit., note 71. 74 Case of Annakurban Amanklychev (Turkmenistan), UN SRSG, op. cit., note 15, para. 700; case of Akifa Aliyeva (Azerbaijan), IHF, “Human Rights Defenders at Risk”, contribution to OSCE SHDM on the “Promotion and Protection of Human Rights”, 12-13 July 2007, pp. 1-2. The Government of Turkmenistan questions the factual basis of the report of Mr. Amanklychev’s case and disputes that he was a human rights defender. The Government of Azerbaijan states that an investigation has established that no such incident had ever occurred. 75 Case of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society-Grozny Section (Russian Federation), FIDH/ OMCT, op. cit., note 19, p. 537. 76 Case of the International Protection Centre (Russian Federation), FIDH/OMCT, op. cit., note 19, p. 529. 77 Case of the NGO Eho (Kazakhstan), Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law, Monitoring Bulletin, February 2007. 78 FIDH, “Preliminary Conclusions of the Observatory International Fact-Finding Mission to Kyrgyzstan”, 22-29 July 2006. 79 HRW, “World Report 2007”, p. 401 (Kyrgyzstan). 80 FIDH/OMCT, op. cit., note 19, p. 485 (Poland).