VZCZCXYZ0005
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPG #1753 3551615
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211615Z DEC 05
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6759
INFO RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0666

UNCLAS PRAGUE 001753 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID EZ PREL RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIAN FM TURNS DOWN REQUEST TO AUTHORIZE CZECH 
NGO 
 
¶1. (U) The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has, for 
the time being, refused a request from his Czech counterpart, 
Cyril Svoboda, to renew the registration of the Czech NGO, 
People in Need (PIN).  PIN had been operating in Chechnya 
since 2000.  But In April, 2005, PIN was told, without any 
explanation why, that its accreditation would not be renewed. 
 PIN closed up shop in July, terminating some programs and 
turning others over to local NGOs. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  PIN's Director Simon Panek told the Embassy that 
during its five years in Chechnya,  the FSB (former KGB) 
tried very hard to find evidence that PIN was linked to 
Chechen separatists.   Panek said that PIN had rented or 
leased more than 50 buildings for its various programs. One 
of those buildings was a small house in Grozny used for 
women's classes and it was in this house that the brother of 
a local PIN employee was captured by Russian authorities. 
The brother was allegedly a Chechen terrorist and was, 
according to Panek, killed. Panek says PIN was unaware that 
the brother had been hiding in the basement of the house. 
Panek believes that the Russian government was looking for 
some reason to shut down the NGO and that this incident was 
merely a pretext. 
 
¶3.  (U) According to Czech media,  Lavrov said he did not 
want to accuse PIN of anything while an investigation was 
being conducted.  He is quoted as saying that it was possible 
the Czech NGO had chosen untrustworthy staff for its programs. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Panek praised the Czech MFA, particularly Deputy 
Foreign Minister, and former Czech Ambassador in Moscow, 
Jaroslav Basta, who, according to Panek stood up to the FSB 
and demanded that they show evidence that PIN is linked to 
terrorism.  FM Svoboda and Deputy FM Tomas Pojar have also 
raised the issue with Russian officials.  Panek will appear 
on Russian radio this week to try to demonstrate that PIN is 
a legitimate NGO which only wants to help. Panek says the EU 
Commission has provided some support and added he would love 
to see the US weigh in as well.   Panek still harbors some, 
admittedly slight, hope that accreditation could be renewed 
if the investigation shows PIN was not deliberately or 
knowingly sheltering a terrorist. 
MUNTER