Divided Communities

The Norwegian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights was founded in 1977. It is a member of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (1HF) whose aim is to monitor state compliance with the standards of the Helsinki Act, subsequent Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE, previously CSCE) human rights related documents and central international human rights standards. The 1HF has a consultative status with the UN. The Norwegian Helsinki Committee has been monitoring and reporting on human rights issues in the former Yugoslavia since 1989. We have had a special focus on (the Former Yugoslav Republic of) Macedonia since 1994, when the Norwegian Helsinki Committee was involved in the establishment of the Macedonian Helsinki Committee. (Preface, fragment)