The Board of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union has issued a statement in response to publications in the press regarding the decision taken by the Respublica Institute for Economic and Social Research to leave UHHRU.

“On 6 June 2013 the UHHRU Board considered the question of whether the actions of the Respublica Institute for Economic and Social Research complied with the UHHRU Charter and Declaration of Ethical Principles. Members of Respublica were invited to attend the Board meeting.

After the members’ explanations and discussion of the situation which had arisen, the Board took the decision to suggest that the general assembly consider whether to exclude the Respublica Institute for Economic and Social Research from UHHRU for actions which harm the Union.

The Board found that the positions of UHHRU and of the Respublica Institute regarding legislative protection of freedom of peaceful assembly were very different, but that this did not breach the ethical principles which members of the Union have agreed to abide by. However in its publications the Respublica Institution has used wording which created the impression that UHHRU supported Respublica’s position.

We must also state that the Board was unable to consider amendments to its Charter proposed by members of the Respublica Institute since these had not been submitted to the Board, and appeared in the UHHRU electronic mailing system three hours after the Board had begun its work and approved the agenda. Unfortunately, the Respublica Institute’s statement on this is one of the typical cases of manipulation of facts which were one of the grounds for the Board’s decision.

It is with regret that we sever ties with the Respublica Institute, an organization which has done and continues to do a lot that is of benefit to human rights protection.