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  • Amnesty International Press Release

    AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE


    AI Index: EUR 01/006/2005 (Public)
    News Service No: 112
    3 May 2005


    Europe and Central Asia: Human rights activists harassed, tortured and persecuted


    Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others,
    to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human
    rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international
    levels.

    UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders


    Threats, harassment and intimidation against those who defend and
    protect human rights are unacceptable. The rights to freedom of
    expression, association and assembly are fundamental human rights,
    Amnesty International said on World Press Freedom Day.

    The Russian Federation, Belarus, Turkmenistan and Turkey are among
    the countries in Europe and Central Asia with the poorest record
    of government harassment and persecution of people for peacefully
    exercising these rights. Amnesty International is concerned that the
    activities of human rights activists are being criminalized by the
    state, and that state officials are harassing, arresting and torturing
    them without fear of repercussions.

    "Officials at every level of the state apparatus, including law
    enforcement officials, must respect the legitimacy of the work of
    people who defend and protect human rights and allow them to act
    without hindrance or harassment. They should publicly promote respect
    for and protect the rights to freedom of expression, association and
    assembly," Nicola Duckworth, Amnesty International's Director of the
    Europe and Central Asia Programme, said.

    In Belarus, the authorities do not tolerate any public criticism or
    dissent and have virtually monopolized the media -- critics of the
    regime risk imprisonment at the hands of a procuracy and judiciary
    under the control of the government. Amnesty International's latest
    report Belarus: Suppressing the last voices of public dissent presents
    how the authorities use controversial legislation to restrict the
    possibilities for non-governmental organizations, political parties,
    trade unions, journalists and individuals to express their personal
    opinion. Harassment, intimidation, excessive force, mass detentions
    and long-term imprisonment are increasingly employed as methods to
    quash any civil or political dissent.

    In Turkmenistan -- as documented in Amnesty International's new
    report Turkmenistan: The clampdown on dissent and religious freedom
    continues that was issued today -- anyone the authorities suspect of
    any form of dissent is at risk of being subjected to unfair trials,
    torture and ill-treatment. Their relatives are in many cases evicted
    from their homes, their property is confiscated and they are sacked
    from their jobs. Independent civil society groups find it impossible
    to operate and several activists have been forced into exile. The
    authorities control all media. They have taken a series of measures to
    curb access to independent sources of information within the country
    and to prevent critical information from reaching the international
    community including by cracking down on journalists who cooperate with
    foreign media outlets known to be critical of the authorities. The
    President-for-life Saparmurat Niyazov and self-proclaimed Turkmenbashi
    (Father of all Turkmen) dominates all aspects of life in the country.

    In the Russian Federation, activists trying to disseminate information
    about the human rights situation in the North Caucasus, as well
    as victims seeking justice at the European Court of Human Rights
    find themselves increasingly the targets of harassment and human
    rights abuses - several of them have even been killed. The Russian
    authorities appear to be tightening their control on the media to
    the point where information about the human rights situation in
    Chechnya and its neighbouring republics in the North Caucasus is
    stifled through censorship or self-censorship.

    In Turkey, despite recent legal and constitutional reforms,
    human rights defenders continue to be targeted for harassment and
    intimidation by state officials. Their activities, their rights to
    freedom of expression, association and assembly are still restricted
    through a huge number of laws and regulations. Many local officials
    -- police chiefs, governors, prosecutors -- continue to view human
    rights defenders as "enemies of the state". Activists of human rights
    organizations, such as the Human Rights Association (IHD), have been
    threatened, arrested, prosecuted, tortured, abducted and killed. At
    least 12 IHD representatives have been killed since 1991. In most cases
    the killers have never been identified, and members of the Turkish
    security forces have been strongly implicated in some of the killings.

    "The work of an independent human rights movement is crucial to any
    society, in order to safeguard the human rights of all people and in
    the construction of a just society," Nicola Duckworth said.

    "Governments must ensure that killings, 'disappearances', torture
    and ill-treatment of and threats against human rights activists are
    thoroughly and impartially investigated and those responsible must
    be brought to justice."

    Amnesty International calls on the international community to exert
    pressure on the governments of the Russian Federation, Belarus,
    Turkmenistan and Turkey to stop the intimidation of human rights
    activists and to ensure that everybody can enjoy their rights to the
    freedoms of expression, association and assembly.

    Background On 16 January 2004, the mutilated body of 29-year-old
    Aslan Davletukaev was found near the town of Gudermes in Chechnya. He
    had been working with the human rights organization Society for
    Russian-Chechen Friendship, which documents violations including
    "disappearances", torture and unlawful killings in the North
    Caucasus. Aslan Davletukaev had reportedly been detained by Russian
    federal forces on 9 January 2004. An investigation into his death has
    been opened and closed several times but nobody has yet been found
    responsible for his death.

    On 30 September 2004, the editor of the Belarusian independent weekly
    Birzha Informatsii, Elena Rovbetskaia was fined the equivalent
    of US$600 for criticizing the referendum which allowed President
    Lukashenka to serve more than the previous limit of two terms. In
    November the same year, the weekly was ordered to close down for three
    months for the same alleged offence. Due to the lack of independent
    printing houses the publication is still not available in print.

    In July 2004, Radio Liberty correspondent Saparmurat Ovezberdiev
    was forced into exile from Turkmenistan because of his work for
    the Turkmen Section of the radio station. He had been under close
    surveillance for many years and pressurized to stop his work. Members
    of his family have also been targeted in an attempt to silence him
    even after his departure.

    On 19 April 2005, three members of the Human Rights Association (IHD)
    in Turkey, Eren Keskin, Saban Dayanan and Dogan Genc, received death
    threats from an ultra-nationalist group called the Turkish Revenge
    Brigade (Turk Intikam Tugayi). This group claimed responsibility
    for an armed attack in 1998 on the then IHD president, Akin Birdal,
    in which he was critically wounded.

    For further information please see:

    Appeal Case: The Russian-Chechen Friendship Society under threat
    http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur460172005

    Russian Federation: Concerns over reports of
    "disappearances" of relatives of Aslan Maskhadov
    http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur460042005

    Russian Federation: Human rights group threatened by security forces
    http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur460012 005

    Russian Federation: The Risk of Speaking Out: Attacks on Human
    Rights Defenders in the context of the armed conflict in Chechnya
    http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur460592004

    Belarus: Suppressing the last voices of peaceful dissent
    http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeu r490042005

    Belarus: Chernobyl commemorations end in large-scale arrests
    http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur490052005

    Turkm enistan: The clampdown on dissent and religious freedom continues
    http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur61003 2005

    Turkey: Death threats/Fear for safety
    http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur 440142005

    Human Rights Defenders at Risk
    http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engact30 0202004



    Public Document

    ****************************************

    For more information please call Amnesty International's press office
    in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 Amnesty International, 1 Easton St.,
    London WC1X 0DW. web: http://www.amnesty.org

    For latest human rights news view http://news.amnesty.org
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