Helsinki Watch was a private American NGO devoted to monitoring implementation of the Helsinki Accords throughout the Soviet bloc. The Helsinki Final Act was signed in 1975, and the organisation was founded in 1978. It focused on the human rights and human contacts portions of the Helsinki Agreement.
The United States-based Helsinki Watch group was inspired by Eastern European efforts such as the Moscow Helsinki Group. In 1982, representatives of a number of the Helsinki Watch committees held an International Citizens Helsinki Watch Conference and formed the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights.
In 1988, Helsinki Watch evolved into Human Rights Watch.
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