Russia rejects Dutch human rights NGO registration

MOSCOW, Jan 25 (Reuters) Russia has refused for a second time to register the Moscow office of a Dutch-based human rights group which gives legal aid to residents of Chechnya, the group said today.

In a letter dated January 19, Russia's Federal Registration Service (FRS) informed the Russian Justice Initiative its application had been rejected on technical grounds.

Russian Justice Initiative said the authorities had rejected its application for errors such as describing its Moscow office as a branch office and not a representative office.

''We cannot understand why this problem was not brought to our attention earlier,'' Jan ter Laak, the chairman of Russian Justice Initiative, said in a statement.

''The FRS has twice previously reviewed all these documents but never gave any indication that this would be a problem,'' he added. The FRS declined to comment.

The day before the application rejection, two Chechen brothers won at the European Court of Human Rights the first conviction of torture against Russian forces in the two wars Russia has fought against rebels in Chechnya since 1994.

The brothers had legal aid and advice from the Russian Justice Initiative.

In November, the group became the first foreign non-governmental organisation (NGO) denied a work licence under a new law which critics said was designed to ban and harass organisations unpopular with the authorities.

Russian officials say the law is needed to stop terrorists, money launderers and spies using NGOs as cover.

REUTERS MS BST1916