Two human rights monitoring organizations active in the former Soviet Union have been jointly nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. The Washington-based Union of Councils for Jews in the former Soviet Union and the Moscow-based Moscow Helsinki Group championed the cause of Soviet Jewish rights in the 1970s and ’80s. The UCSJ currently focuses on monitoring hate crimes in the FSU, publishing reports on anti-Semitism, xenophobia and human rights abuses, while the Moscow group has continued to push for adherence to the 1975 Helsinki Accords, which committed signatories to “respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief.” The nomination also may be meant to highlight what many observers see as the continuing efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government to limit the operations of human-rights NGOs in Russia. The 2007 prize winners will be announced in October.
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