MENU
Documenting
war crimes in Ukraine

The Tribunal for Putin (T4P) global initiative was set up in response to the all-out war launched by Russia against Ukraine in February 2022.

Similar articles

Now Ukrainian banks want to know about their clients’ “public activities”NGOs report increased surveillance, questions, etc from the authoritiesBad news for Bondarenko – and the Party of the RegionsJournalists should turn to the Prosecutor over snooping questions from Regions PartyRegions Party again using highly specific methods in preparation for future electionsNo Room for Democracy?The government is preparing for the elections – collecting information about everyoneThe Security Service has no interest in democracy ...SBU and democratic valuesSBU checks cooperation between International Renaissance Foundation and civic organizationRussia's armed terror against independent Crimean Tatar Muslim community hits resistance 71-year-old Ukrainian seized on fake 'spying' charges dies in Russian captivity Bizarre 'motives' concocted to imprison renowned Memorial Head for opposing Russia's war against Ukraine Referral network. Design and functioningSOS! Foreign diplomats in Russia can help Crimean Tatar and other Ukrainian political prisoners!Putin signs decree simplifying Russia’s criminal abduction of children from occupied Ukraine Armed searches and surreal charges against Crimean Tatar Imam for leading prayers in Russian-occupied Crimea Court in Ukraine jails ex-Berkut officers for savage attack on Euromaidan activistsAbducted and tortured Ukrainian writer and journalist Serhiy Tsyhipa sentenced to 13 years on surreal charges Russia refuses to investigate the torture to death of Crimean Tatar political prisoner Dzhemil Gafarov

More on authorities’ dubious data collecting

25.11.2011    source: ut.net.ua
NGOs fear that the gathering of data is linked with the approaching parliamentary elections, with the authorities thus trying to find out which NGOs plan to monitor the electoral process and which get financial assistance from abroad

Tax departments, as reported, have begun gathering information about NGO activists, sending around a form with very detailed questions concerning personal data and activities.  They are asked to provide the full names, positions and contact details for the heads and people in responsible positions within the organization; who one turns to about running events; how large-scale the organisation is; the main areas of activity, etc; whether they are disposed to cooperate with the State Tax Service, and others.

Ukrainsky Tyzhden was told by a district tax inspectorate official that the aim of the questionnaire was to create a database of civic organizations for further cooperation with them, this involving explanation of particular provisions of tax legislation and acquainting the public with the principles of work of the State Tax Administration. “The tax inspectorate is in no way planning to put pressure on civic organizations and even if we wanted to, we don’t have such possibilities. These are non-profit-making organizations, not business”.

Members of NGOs who received the questionnaires are more wary.

“We do not specialize in tax issues therefore it’s strange why they need to know about our members in such detail. Such information is not needed for the purposes the Tax Administration gives”, Taras Shevchenko from the Media Law Institute says.

Oleksy Khara from the organization TORO, which is Transparency International’s partner organization in Ukraine, is equally sceptical.  He says the tax inspectorate already has a huge amount of information, now wants to know more, while offering nothing in return, including information as to contradictory provisions of the tax code.

The NGOs who received the questionnaire are concerned that it is the Security Service which is interested in the information being sought about active members of civil society.  They are concerned that the data could be used in the future against leaders of organizations which are critical of the actions of the present regime or take part in protests.

They also fear that the gathering of data is linked with approaching parliamentary elections (due at the end of October 2012 – translator).  Those in power are in this way trying to find out which NGOs plan to monitor the electoral process and which gets financial assistance from abroad. Oleksy Khara says that the Tax Inspectorate shows interest in them before each election.

Lawyers assert that the questions about activists run counter to the Personal Data Protection Action, this prohibiting the gathering of data about a person without their consent. 

 Share this