BYLAWS OF
Association for Human Rights Defense International
ARTICLE 1: THE NAME
SECTION 1. The name of the organization shall be Association for Human Rights Defense International. The short abbreviated name of the organization shall be HRD.
ARTICLE 2: THE PURPOSES
SECTION 1. The Association for Human Rights Defense International
(HRD thereafter) is organized exclusively for charitable, scientific and educational
purposes, more specifically to be international charitable organization for
defense of human and civil rights secured by law, in the world, especially
in exUSSR countries and Belarus.
SECTION 2. This corporation shall be a nonprofit organization
within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
ARTICLE 3: THE RESTRICTIONS
SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of these
Bylaws, the HRD shall not, except to an insubstantial degree, engage in any
activities or exercise any powers that are not in furtherance of the purposes
of this corporation.
SECTION 2. Notwithstanding any other provision of these Bylaws,
the HRD shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried
on by a corporation exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3)
of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal
tax code.
SECTION 3. No part of the net earnings of the HRD shall inure
to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers,
or other private persons, except that the HRD shall be authorized and empowered
to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments
and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article 2 hereof.
SECTION 4. No substantial part of the activities of the corporation
shall be attempting to influence legislation (unless it elects to come under
the provisions allowing certain lobbing expenditures), and the corporation
shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution
of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any
candidate for public office.
ARTICLE 4: LOCATION
SECTION 1. The HRD office could be located in any country of the world upon its Incorporator or his heir decision.
ARTICLE 5: THE ORGANIGRAM
SECTION 1. The HRD consists of its President (Board), Departments, collective and individual members. The HRD establishes subsidiaries and affiliations.
ARTICLE 6: THE PRESIDENT AND THE BOARD
SECTION 1. The President, appointed by the Incorporator
or his heir, is in charge of the HRD. The President carries out personal leadership
over the HRD. The HRD Incorporator (or his heir) can be its President, as
well as the President of its Departments, agencies or affiliations.
SECTION 2. Upon the Incorporator (heir) decision, the collegial
governing body (Board) can be established under the HRD President’s
control. The positions and responsibilities of the members of the Board are
defined by the President upon agreement with the Incorporator (heir).
ARTICLE 7: THE DEPARTMENTS
SECTION 1. The territorial and regional departments, branches,
associations, societies, organizations and other organizational HRD subdivisions
(hereafter - Departments), can be established in any country or territory
of the world by the HRD President (Board) with the participation of three
or more initiators - permanent residents of a country or a territory. Department
has its own title, seal and banking accounts, other attributes, including
Bylaws. Department acts on the principles of independence, stipulated by the
HRD Bylaws, its guidelines and resolutions. Department is accountable to the
HRD President (Board) and does not undertake any actions incompliant with
the purposes and objectives of the Association. Department may establish accountable
territorial structural subdivisions. Department is managed by its President
approved or appointed by the HRD President (Board). The president carries
out personal leadership of Department personally or through the Governing
Body appointed by him.
SECTION 2. To establish a Department in the name of the HRD
President an application or protocol of meeting of initiating group is to
be presented.
SECTION 3. In the event of a Department activity termination,
its assets and funds become the HRD property and used for the purposes stipulated
by the Bylaws.
ARTICLE 8: COLLECTIVE MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1. Any organization sharing the objectives and tasks of the Association becomes its member upon the HRD President (Board) resolution or upon a Department President (Board) resolution.
ARTICLE 9: INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1. Any citizen sharing objectives, tasks and methods
of activity of the Association upon the HRD President (Board) or a Department
President (Board) resolution becomes its member.
Upon the HRD President (Board) resolution, adopted by the Incorporator or
his heir, a member of the Association receives the status of the full HRD
member.
ARTICLE 10: INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL
SECTION 1. The supreme advisory body of the Association
is the International Council, assembled by the HRD President when needed (at
least once every five years). The International Council consists of the full
members of the Association and representatives of the Departments. The representatives
of the collective and individual members participate in meetings of the International
Council without the right of casting vote; their number is defined by the
HRD President (Board). The resolutions of the International Council become
effective within ten-day period upon their adoption; the veto of the HRD President
(Board) can be imposed during the above period. The veto of the President
(Board) is invalidated by 2/3 of voices of the members of the International
Council.
SECTION 2. To put the resolutions of the International Council,
the President and the HRD Board into effect, the International Executive Committee
is established; its structure and staff are defined by the President (Board).
ARTICLE 11: AGENCIES AND AFFILIATIONS
SECTION 1. The HRD Agencies and Affiliations are established by the HRD President (Board) in any country or territory of the world as detached subdivisions acting as stipulated by the Provisions of the Association. The chiefs of Agencies and Affiliations are appointed by the HRD President and act on the grounds of the letters of attorney.
ARTICLE 12: COMPLETION OF MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1. Membership in the Association is terminated on
personal initiative by notifying the HRD President or a chief of a subdivision
and return of the membership card.
SECTION 2. The HRD member could lose his memberships and
a Department could be liquidated for the violation of HRD objectives, tasks,
methods of activity and HRD resolutions.
ARTICLE 13: ASSETS AND DISSOLUTION
SECTION 1. Upon the dissolution of the corporation, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction of the county in which the principal office of the corporation is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
ARTICLE 14: AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS
SECTION 1. Amendments are put into the Bylaws under the initiative of the Incorporator (heir) or by the resolution of the President or International Council upon the Incorporator’s (heir) approval.
These Bylaws were approved by the Incorporator of Association
for Human Rights Defense International on the August 10, 2000.
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