swissoppress

Karin Keller-Sutter should be held accountable for violating the right to humanitarian activity, contributing to the destruction of Gerasjuta’s charitable organizations, and being responsible for the deaths of impoverished and sick Ukrainians:

1. Before the ECHR: For her inaction as a member of the Federal Council, failing to prevent the persecution that led to the foundation’s closure and subsequent deaths.
2. By the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC): For violations of the following article:
   • Article 6 (violation of the right to life): The closure of the foundation, caused by state actions, resulted in loss of life and may constitute a breach of the right to life.
   • Article 22: The forced liquidation of the foundation violated the freedom of association.
3. Before the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, specifically the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association, as the closure of the foundation deprived people of access to medicines, violating the right to health and life. The persecution of Sergej Gerasjuta and the ban on the foundation’s activities violated freedom of association.

Due to the politicized nature of this case, the legal proceedings in Switzerland concerning the fabricated criminal charges cannot be impartial.

An independent court must thoroughly examine the matter and:

• Assess the moral and material damages;
• Recover the amount of damage from Karin Keller-Sutter, who participated in the liquidation of Gerasjuta’s charitable organizations and business

Under the pseudonym Kris Kristi, Mr. Gerasjuta wrote the first part of his book,
Human Heritage Museum. Foundations,
in whose penultimate chapter he began recounting his persecution in Switzerland. He is currently working on a sequel, where he will explore these topics in detail. We plan to publish the book in multiple languages worldwide.

All the charitable organizations Sergej Gerasjuta established to assist impoverished and sick people in Ukraine have been destroyed.

Weg zur Rettung, SOS Gerasjuta, SOS GERASJUTA Stiftung, Jugendprojekt, and the association Retten Sie Leben (Save lives) operated legally within the framework of their statutory activities. They maintained strict accounting records, which were supervised by independent professional auditing firms in both Ukraine and Switzerland.

There is no free market for philanthropy in Switzerland.

Currently, Mr. Gerasjuta is being prosecuted in a fabricated case. His business and personal accounts in Switzerland and Ukraine have been frozen.
From a successful leader, philanthropist, and businessman, Sergej Gerasjuta has been turned into a destitute, homeless bankrupt.

Karin Keller-Sutter

is a member of the Federal Council, one of Switzerland’s seven highest-ranking officials. When Mr. Gerasjuta was placed in pre-trial detention, he wrote to her about his persecution but received a negative response. She was fully aware that the fabricated criminal case was pure fiction, but did not stop it. Karin Keller-Sutter knew that we were providing life-saving medications to critically ill patients and understood perfectly well that halting this assistance would inevitably lead to their deaths

During the court hearings in the EU and in the United States, the obstruction of our charitable fundraising campaigns will be examined step by step from their very inception. A thorough analysis will be conducted of the actions of all individuals who have negatively influenced them.

The following individuals will testify in court as witnesses:

• Our employees in Switzerland and Ukraine, who are eyewitnesses to the events. They will provide an insider’s perspective on our work and present detailed reports and necessary documents.
• Needy patients whose health conditions worsened after they stopped receiving vital medications from our organization.
• Hospital doctors whose patients survived thanks to the life-saving support we provided.
• Family members of deceased individuals residing in Ukraine, EU countries, and the USA, whose relatives passed away as a result of the ban on our humanitarian activities in Switzerland.

Our independent auditor confirmed in the annual reports that administrative expenses accounted for a reasonable 17–23% of the collected donations. However, the supervisory authority, ESA in Bern, conducted its own unconventional calculations, asserting that only 12-15% of funds reached those in need, while a staggering 85-88% was allocated to administration. These figures were derived using non-standard methods, unrecognized in the charitable sector, where aid projects are typically evaluated in their entirety rather than based solely on direct payments to individuals. Relying on these contested numbers, the ESA imposed a prohibition on our foundation’s activities.

The principle behind the unconventional calculation lies in attorney Eckenstein’s use of accounting methods that charitable organizations, including ZEWO members, do not employ in their financial reporting. Typically, foundations classify entire projects as „aid,“ encompassing various administrative expenses — such as portions of staff salaries or rent for spaces used in project implementation. Additionally, all funds spent in the recipient country are recorded as „aid.“
In our case, however, Eckenstein counted only the direct payments to those in need, excluding all other costs tied with charitable activities. This approach led him to report a skewed ratio of 12-15% aid versus 85-88% administrative expenses. If this same method were applied to other organizations, their figures would undoubtedly be comparable.

An independent auditor, adhering to professional standards, conducted a proper assessment and confirmed that our actual administrative expenses ranged from 17% to 23% in various years. Nevertheless, ZEWO and ESA opted to endorse the attorney’s flawed calculations. Their intent was evident — to eliminate a competitor. ZEWO and third parties then disseminated biased data through commissioned media publications, branding our foundation as self-serving rather than charitable. And although Mr. Gerasjutas salary was average for Switzerland and significantly lower than that of ZEWO organization leaders, the press — under its influence — deliberately concealed this obvious fact, misleading the public.

Our efforts were challenging because we relied solely on modest contributions from private individuals — no other support reached us. In contrast, ZEWO-affiliated organizations enjoy substantial funding from the government and major corporations, freeing them from spending resources on fundraising. We enjoyed no such privilege. Despite ZEWO’s influence and the negative image created by biased media, ordinary people continued to offer us small donations.
Just as we have no right to exist in Switzerland, any other emerging organization not backed by ZEWO simply cannot survive — ZEWO ensures its demise.

A genuine campaign of harassment was launched against our activities in the media. It wasn’t mere criticism but a deliberate smearing of our reputation. Prominently featured biased articles appeared in local newspapers across all regions where we conducted fundraising campaigns. These reports branded the SOS Gerasjuta organization as dubious and untrustworthy, openly urging people not to support our beneficiaries in Ukraine but to donate only to organizations bearing the ZEWO logo.
At the hearings of an independent court in the United States, each publication from regional newspapers, magazines, and TV channels will be examined.

Our association Retten Sie Leben (Save lives) provided assistance exclusively to those in need, without spending funds on anything else. However, despite this, the government authorities still forcibly liquidated it.

Sergej Gerasjuta was neither the first nor the last to have his charitable work in Switzerland destroyed. Many other budding organizations with excellent ideas and noble intentions have been ruthlessly crushed. Materials could be collected and a documentary film produced about this injustice.

Settlement Agreement

As the aggrieved party, Sergej Gerasjuta is open to considering the possibility of a settlement agreement. Those responsible for the destruction of our charitable organizations and discrimination must provide fair compensation for the material and moral damage inflicted. This will serve as redress for all the suffering he has endured, enable the restoration of his charitable activities, allow him to regain his lost business, and assist those in need harmed by their destructive actions.
If a settlement agreement is reached, we will forgo the implementation of all previously stated points.
However, if legal proceedings are initiated, they will be pursued to the very end. Charitable and public activities aimed at combating human rights violations in Switzerland will continue and expand further.