Český helsinský výbor

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Český helsinský výbor ( Czech Helsinki Committee ), formerly Československý helsinský výbor ( Czechoslovak Helsinki Committee ), ČHV, is a non-governmental organization that deals with the human rights situation . The committee was formed in 1988 in the context of the opposition Charter 77 and the VONS committee .

History and goals in the ČSSR

The founding of the Helsinki Committee in the ČSSR was initiated by the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) and Human Rights Watch , and it was implemented in November 1988 by thirty members of the opposition, including Jiří Hájek . It was an extension of the work of the opposition Charter 77.

The objectives of the committee met with displeasure from the state and party authorities at the time. Respect for human rights in the OSCE states and compliance with the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 was the task of IHF, which was founded in 1982. The final act was also signed by Czechoslovakia in 1976 and thus also assumed the obligations arising from it. However, adherence to the principles and pointing out the discrepancy between totalitarian reality in the ČSSR were the declared aim of the Helsinki Committee.

The main focus of the committee's activities were:

  • Violations of human and civil rights in the ČSSR
  • Incompatibility of the legal system, legal (as well as political) practice with the Final Act principles
  • including above all the totalitarian assembly laws and other norms of the penal code
  • Countless reprisals against citizens who protested against the regime or even only expressed their opinion on it, etc.

After it was founded, the committee became one of the 45 members of the IHF.

The committee after 1989

After the Velvet Revolution of 1989, the committee continued its work. Right at the beginning of 1990, the committee officially applied for registration, which took place on May 11, 1990. With the division of Czechoslovakia there was also a division and the committee and its renaming into the Czech Helsinki Committee and the Slovak Helsinki Committee (which no longer exists).

The activity has differentiated as a result of social development. The main tasks today include the following areas:

  • Monitoring of human rights in the Czech Republic, general legislative activity in this field
  • Rights of women, seniors, children, prisoners and foreigners
  • Police work
  • Help for people whose human rights have been violated

Since 2009, the board of the committee has consisted of Anna Šabatová and Ivan Štampach, among others .

References

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b helcom.cz (Czech; PDF; 103 kB), accessed on September 18, 2009
  2. ↑ a b helcom.cz/about us

Web links