TALLINN - The Estonian Human Rights Information Center has refuted reports that Russia provides the bulk of its operational funds.
"In groundless statements about 'Russian sources' financing our organization, published in the Estonian Security Police yearbook and spread in the press in the summer of 2005, attempts were made to slander our reputation in the eyes of the Estonian public. The media's recent reports apparently have the same aim," the Human Rights Information Center said in a statement released on Feb. 28.
According to the statement, the center's main sources of financing since 1994 have been the European government, public funds and organizations.
"During all those years, the proportion of Russian sources has never been higher than 11 percent of the total budget. The share of the funding received from the European Commission, EU member states, as well as from Norway and the United States, was nearly 53 percent. About 31 percent came from international organizations and funds, and less than 6 percent from local sources," the information center said.
The center added that, at present, they were mainly financed by the European Commission and at the expense of projects financed by the European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia.
The statement added that, for more than 10 years, the center has been publishing reports about various aspects of the non-Estonian population in response to inquiries from international structures, including from the European Union.
"We presume that attacks against the center by some Estonian officials or anonymous 'experts' were necessary in order to avoid substantial discussion of the shortcomings of the Estonian nationalities policy," the statement added.
Aarne Veedla, adviser to Population Minister Paul-Eerik Rummo, said both the minister's office, as well as the Integration Foundation, had repeatedly offered information center employees opportunities to take part in charting Estonia's integration policy and expressing their opinion about it.
"Unfortunately, the Human Rights Information Center has in recent years consistently ignored such invitations," Veedla said.
As member of the president's ethnic minorities' round table he underlined that he had not met Alexey Semyonov, a member of the round table, at recent meetings of the organization.
"What reports and to whom the Human Rights Information Center writes is fully the center's own business," said the adviser, adding that Estonian experts had drawn attention to the unprofessional level of its report-writers.
Veedla added that the Russian Defense Ministry had long reported that it was financing employees of the center.
"Aryupin, an employee of the center, for example, is dealing with the protection of Russian ex-servicemen, and Russia's Defense Ministry has confirmed its share in funding the expenses," Veedla added.
