Eurasia Clearinghouse Matters (English)

NGO: Teplitsa. Technologies for Social Good

Website: https://te-st.ru/

Project: Preparation and presentation at the session on the right to anonymity on the Internet

Jurisdiction: Russia

Legal topics: Data protection law, digital security, right to anonymity

Deadline: March 29, 2023, NEW ASAP

Language: Russian 

Criteria: Knowledge in the field of digital security, anonymization in using telecommunication services, data protection

Additional Information:

Teplitsa. Technologies for Social Good is an independent and capacity building project with a mission to strengthen the Russian NGO sector with the help of information technologies. One of the main directions of the project is to help NGOs and activists in digital aspects, including organization of events for them.

On March 29-30, Teplitsa is holding the 13th  online conference on integrated security “Opilki”.

“Opilki” – is a conference where security experts exchange experience and discuss current challenges. This year the conference is dedicated to the topic “Anonymization for civil activists”.

The project is currently looking for pro bono lawyers to participate in the session concerning the right to anonymity on the Internet. Particularly, the presentation should cover such questions as: where and in what cases the law does not prohibit anonymization, is it possible in social networks, or while using telecommunications services; is it allowed to use anonymization tools. It is desirable to have legal experience in Russia, and also be familiar with international law on this topic.

To prepare and record a webinar, the project is looking for pro bono lawyers who are ready to tell about changes in legislation regarding declaring NGOs as the foreign agents, and regulation of their activities.

NGO: Anonymous

Website: –

Project: Legal research on regulation of forced anal testing

Jurisdiction: Uzbekistan

Legal topics: Human rights, prohibition of cruel or humiliating treatment, criminal law, right to privacy

Deadline: April 08, 2023, NEW ASAP

Language: English or Uzbek

Criteria: Knowledge of Uzbekistan’s criminal law, Uzbek language, access to database of Uzbek legal acts

Additional Information:

The Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan provides for criminal liability of up to three years in prison for same-sex relationships between adult men. The UN Human Rights Committee, in its Concluding Observations on Uzbekistan in May 2020, called on the government to remove article 120 from the Criminal Code, expressing concern over “continuing reports of discrimination, harassment and violence, including extortion, arbitrary arrest, torture and sexual abuse”. “Expertise” is often used as evidence in this category of criminal cases,including forced anal testing of suspects of homosexuality. The courts of Uzbekistan use the results of these examinations to support verdicts in criminal cases. The practice of forced anal testing violates a number of fundamental human rights, including the right to be protected from torture and ill-treatment, and the right to privacy. Human rights lawyers received information about testing exclusively from the texts of court decisions, in which the conclusions of such testing are the basis of the charge.

Currently, the Coalition  is seeking the assistance of pro bono lawyers in conducting an analytical reference or research on the legal and regulatory procedure of the regulation of forced anal testing (what is the procedure, who conducts the testing, what medical or other procedures are followed for this examination, in accordance with what regulations it is carried out, the legal basis for its implementation) for subsequent appeal to the Constitutional Court of Uzbekistan.

NGO: PILnet

Website: https://www.pilnet.org/

Project: Research on employment law to support a new Global Employment Guide for nonprofits

Jurisdictions: Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan 

Legal topics: Employment  law, remote work, independent consultants

Deadline: April, 2023 (flexible), NEW

Language: English or Russian

Criteria: Expertise in employment law, knowledge of taxation and non-profit law in relation to employment

Additional Information:

PILnet is a global non-governmental organization that creates opportunities for social change by unlocking law’s full potential. With programs in Europe & Eurasia, Asia, and at the global level, PILnet aims to reclaim and reimagine the role of law so that it works for the benefit of all.

For many employers, the pandemic and the increasing displacement of workers following events in Ukraine, Russia and Afghanistan has led to a greater diversity in types of workers and their physical location. For non-profit organizations, it can be difficult to navigate and comply with the legal framework as it applies to each of these types of workers and the different jurisdictions they work in. 

PILnet is working on a project that  aims to strengthen the resilience and autonomy of non-profit organizations by providing an easily accessible and user-friendly guide on employment  laws in numerous jurisdictions worldwide. Currently, PILnet is finishing work on developing a questionnaire for the research and looking for pro bono lawyers to research the employment labor laws in their respective jurisdictions.

NGO: ANO additional education “MartSchool”

Website: https://ano-martschool23.ru/

Project: Legal assistance with the preparation of mandatory for publication local documents of the organization

Jurisdiction: Russia 

Legal topics: NGOs regulation, local documents, education

Deadline: March 31, 2023 ASAP

Language: Russian

Criteria: Knowledge of legislation in regulation of NGOs, experience in the preparation of local acts for educational organizations

Additional Information:

The School of Classical Family Education “MartSchool” provides general and additional education services for children with autism aged 5 to 18 years. The mission of the organization is to enable and ensure the right of every family with a child with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) to an individual educational route from a preschooler to a young adult.

The SmartyKids children’s intellectual development center and the MartSchool private school have been operating since 2017 in the legal forms of individual entrepreneurs and LLCs. There are two licenses for additional education of children and adults. Since 2020, the center has also started working with children with autism (ASD), for this, in 2022, a non-profit organization was registered in the form of ANO, which also allows it to participate in grants, receive donations and assistance necessary for the development of the project. The goal of the center is to create a sustainable model of individual and inclusive education for children with ASD from a preschooler to a young adult, which can work in small towns in Russia; elimination of educational segregation of children with special educational needs, which takes place in small settlements and which is expressed in the absence of a choice of forms of education for such children (only municipal correctional school).

In January 2023, during a preventive visit of representatives of the Ministry of Education of the Krasnodar Territory to the Center, the latter received a number of clarifications about the necessity the Center to publish local acts (for example, such as the format, terms and procedure of the attestation act, dispute regulation act, etc.), certified by an electronic digital signature, on the official website of the Center. Currently, the Center needs legal advice on compiling a list of documents that are required for publication, as well as assistance in the preparation of these local acts.

NGO: PILnet

Website: https://www.pilnet.org/

Project: Legal research on all aspects relating to non-profit registration and operation

Jurisdictions: Live jurisdiction tracker 

Legal topics: Non-profit registration, taxation, employment law, opening an organizational bank account, non-profit reporting mechanisms

Deadline: May, 2023 (flexible), Ongoing

Language: English

Criteria: Legal expertise in non-profit entity registration, taxation, employment law

Additional Information:

DLA Piper, ECNL, and PILnet joined forces to create a Global Guide on how to set up charities around the world. It is a guide for organizations waiting to move their operations to another country or open new organizations abroad. Non-profits generally run their operations on limited budgets. Trying to hire a lawyer when expanding is an extra burden put on them which sometimes hinders their growth. This project aims to strengthen the resilience and autonomy of non-profit organizations by providing an easily accessible and user-friendly platform on non-profit registration around the world. 

The project was launched at the PILnet 2022 Global Forum in Dublin. The project is run in collaboration with numerous law firms generously dedicating time to the cause. Currently, PILnet with partners proceeding with the second phase of the project, and collaborating with Chase, a consumer banking company, through their Force for Good technical assistance project to achieve greater impact and make the information more accessible and relevant for the NGO end users.

At this stage of the project pro bono lawyers will be asked to answer a list of questions on how to set up a charity in their country and enter answers in a dynamic form. To see a questionnaire for the research please visit the following link.