Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker e.V. (GfbV)
Geiststr. 7
37073 Göttingen
Germany
Contact person: Astridt Bracht
+49 (0)551 49906 -10
+49 (0)551 58 028
info@gfbv.de
a.bracht@gfbv.de
http://www.gfbv.de
Topics
- Human rights
- Media project
- Volunteers are welcome.
About us
Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker (GfbV) / Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) is an international human rights organisation which campaigns with and on behalf of threatened and persecuted ethnic and religious minorities, nationalities and indigenous peoples. We stand side by side with the victims of crimes against humanity, identifying the individual perpetrators of such crimes and their accomplices by name. And we have no hesitation in speaking out when victims become perpetrators. Because the principle that inspires all our activities is expressed in the slogan "Not Turning a Blind Eye”.
GfbV/STP has its origins in "Aktion Biafra-Hilfe”, a grassroots initiative opposing genocide in Biafra (part of modern-day Nigeria) that was founded in Hamburg in 1968 by Tilman Zülch and Klaus Guercke. That organisation became GfbV/STP in 1970. GfbV/STP’s main office in Germany is located in Göttingen. We have other national sections in Austria, Switzerland, Southern Tyrol / Italy, Luxembourg, Bosnia-Herzegowina and Chile as well as representatives in London and New York. GfbV/STP is currently in the process of setting up an office in Iraqi Kurdistan. All these various sections and offices are members of GfbV/STP International, which has its headquarters in Luxembourg.
Our aim is to ensure that the general public is kept informed about the persecution and annihilation of minorities, through our press releases, interviews with the printed media and radio and television, our magazine pogrom-bedrohte Völker [“pogrom – threatened peoples”], our website, and the exhibitions, lectures and discussions that we organise. These are the means we use to bring pressure to bear on the politicians responsible for taking action.
We publish human rights reports, we document abuses and report them to the appropriate authorities, we provide specialist advice, expert testimony and legal expertise and we work to secure assistance for the persecuted and those in need. We help them to make representations to domestic, European and international agencies and on many occasions our involvement has helped to draw attention to war crimes and shed light on the real magnitude of human rights violations.
We publicise human rights violations and name the individuals responsible. This is what most tyrants fear. Even dictators are concerned about their reputation and are reluctant to jeopardise trade relations and alliances with international partners. When the spoken and written word fails to arouse the necessary interest, we organise demonstrations and rallies, hold vigils, arrange international conferences and promote increased awareness through high-profile human rights actions.
For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information, deliver a lecture and establish new contacts in the field of our work.
