HRW Defends Belarusian Helsinki Committee

Logo of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (Courtesy Photo) December 14, 2006 -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) is calling on the Belarusian authorities to immediately halt their attempts to close down the Belarusian Helsinki Committee.

HRW says authorities last week seized office equipment from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, a Minsk-based human rights group.

Last year, a Belarus court reinstated an order demanding the Belarusian Helsinki Committee to pay a fine for not paying taxes on an EU grant that both Belarus and the EU had recognized as tax-exempt.