Name Issues
The BHHRG has also been denounced for failing to mention that it enjoys no recognition from the International Helsinki Federation, but has been quite at odds with other organizations with similar names, at least since 1996. The International Helsinki Federation (IHF) felt the need to issue a public statement disclaiming any connection with the group. The Greek National Committee of the said Federation, which has been effective throughout the Balkans, also published a press release to denounce what it felt was the BHHRG's impostures, while others accused it of "nam itself so as to usurp the prestige of its elder". Monika Horaková, a Roma member of the Czech parliament, said in an open letter condemning a BHHRG's report in 1999:
- "I had thought that the Helsinki Group was a non-partisan body interested in exposing and helping to solve human rights abuses in the world. This report caused me to question my previously held beliefs. However, I have since learned that the BHHRG has no connection to the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights in Vienna. It is a disgrace that the BHHRG is using the good Helsinki name to mislead the public into thinking that their racist propaganda is somehow affiliated with the well-respected Helsinki Group."
Supporters of the BHHRG reply that the name "Helsinki" is not trademarked anywhere and no official imprimatur is needed for any group wishing to monitor the implementation of the Helsinki Accords. They note that the European Commission established a "Helsinki Group on Women and Science" in Helsinki in 1999, with no connection with the monitoring of Helsinki Accords.
Read more about this topic: British Helsinki Human Rights Group
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