Stanislav Dmitriyevsky, the head of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society in Nizhny Novgorod, was handed a two-year suspended sentence. He dismissed his conviction as politically motivated and vowed to appeal it in Russia and the European Court of Human Rights.

"This is part of a major assault on NGOs in Russia," Dmitriyevsky said by telephone after the verdict, branding it "illegal and unfair."
"I consider this case politically directed," Dmitriyevsky said of the charges filed against him in connection with the publication in his group's newspaper of statements by Chechen separatist leaders.

For Human Rights denounced the verdict as "a continuation of the shameful practice of false accusations against human rights defenders and active opponents of the war in Chechnya."

Aaron Rhodes, executive director of the Vienna-based International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, said it created a climate of intimidation aimed at silencing rights activists who criticized the policies of President Vladimir Putin.
Dmitriyevsky's trial came amid tightening state control over NGOs. Putin last month signed a restrictive NGO law.

The case against Dmitriyevsky was centered on two publications by the group's newspaper, Pravozashchita, or Rights Defense, in 2004. The paper ran statements by then-Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov -- who was killed last year by federal forces -- urging the international community to help end the war in Chechnya, and by his envoy Akhmed Zakayev, calling on Russians not to vote for Putin and thus help end the conflict.

Dmitriyevsky's group has received $170,000 since 2001 from the U.S.-based National Endowment for Democracy, as well as grants from the European Union and Norway.

Source: The Moscow Times