Lithuanian Helsinki Group
Human rights non-governmental organization in the Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Lithuanian Helsinki Group (full name: the Public Group to Promote the Implementation of the Helsinki Accords in Lithuania; Lithuanian: Helsinkio susitarimų vykdymui remti Lietuvos visuomeninė grupė) was a dissident organization active in the Lithuanian SSR, one of the republics of the Soviet Union, in 1975–83. Established to monitor the implementation of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, better known as Helsinki Accords, it was the first human rights organization in Lithuania. The group published over 30 documents that exposed religious repressions, limitations on freedom of movement, political abuse of psychiatry, discrimination of minorities, persecution of human right activists, and other violations of human rights in the Soviet Union.[1] Most of the documents reached the West and were published by other human rights groups. Members of the group were persecuted by the Soviet authorities. Its activities diminished after it lost members due to deaths, emigration, or imprisonment, though it was never formally disbanded. Some of the group's functions were taken over by the Catholic Committee for the Defense of the Rights of Believers, founded by five priests in 1978.[2] Upon his release from prison, Viktoras Petkus reestablished the Lithuanian Helsinki Group in 1988.
Lietuvos Helsinkio Grupė | |
Merged into | Lithuanian Human Rights Association |
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Formation | 27 November 1976; 47 years ago (1976-11-27) |
Founder | Viktoras Petkus Tomas Venclova Karolis Garuckas Eitanas Finkelšteinas Ona Lukauskaitė-Poškienė |
Type | Non-profit NGO |
Purpose | Human rights monitoring |
Headquarters | Vilnius, Lithuania |
Membership | 41 (total) |
Parent organization | Helsinki Committee for Human Rights |