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Helsinki Federation slams dozens of OSCE countries for violating human rights
By DANICA KIRKA
AP Worldstream; Jun 27, 2005
An international human rights organization slammed many former Soviet
republics and some of the world's leading democracies on Monday for
torture, unlawful detention and restricting press freedoms _ often
in the name of fighting terrorism.
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights' surveyed
38 countries that belong to the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, sharply attacking practices that led to a
lack of independence in the judiciary, police brutality and torture.
Though the United States and other established democracies came under
fire, the report was particularly critical of countries in Central
Asia, such as Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
"These countries have been independent now for 14 years," said Aaron
Rhodes, the executive director of the Vienna-based federation,
"The excuse that they are still grappling with the transition to
democracy is increasingly weak."
The federation ,which surveys OSCE nations annually, criticized the
United States, Britain and Russia for having serious human rights
violations stemming from anti-terrorism measures, with anti-Semitism,
Islamaphobia and other forms of intolerance on the rise. The group
charged that in the course of trying to improve security, the OSCE
members weakened human rights _ and set a poor example for countries
struggling with a shift toward democracy.
"This is something that threatens the human rights of everyone and
doesn't improve security," Rhodes said. "It alienates populations
from Western democracies and undermines their faith in the ideals
represented by these countries."
Activists heaped pressure on Central Asian nations such as Uzbekistan,
where government troops opened fire on unarmed protesters in the
eastern city of Andijan last month after militants seized a local
prison and government headquarters.
Human rights activists say 750 people died, while Uzbek authorities say
173 people were killed. The ex-Soviet republic's autocratic government
rejected calls for an independent international investigation into
the violence and President Islam Karimov has blamed the unrest on
Islamic extremists, accusing them of using civilians as human shields.
"They're justifying massacres of civilians in the name of fighting
terrorism," Rhodes said. "It's outrageous."
The organization noted the abuse of prisoners at the detention center
in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but revealed no new
details.
It said torture remained a serious concern in Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan,
Moldova, Ukraine Uzbekistan and Chechnya, where it said gross human
rights violations _ such as "disappearances" and extra-judicial
killings _ continued with virtual impunity.
The group also painted a bleak picture of media freedoms in the former
Soviet bloc, reporting that the government in Turkmenistan practiced
direct censorship and imposed total media control. In Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, the expression of
political opposition resulted in prosecution.
Even in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, led by pro-Western
President Mikhail Saakashvili, diversity in the media has narrowed
significantly since he took office, the federation said.
In Turkey, nearly 700 people have been sentenced to prison terms or
fines for expressing their views, the group said.
By DANICA KIRKA
AP Worldstream; Jun 27, 2005
An international human rights organization slammed many former Soviet
republics and some of the world's leading democracies on Monday for
torture, unlawful detention and restricting press freedoms _ often
in the name of fighting terrorism.
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights' surveyed
38 countries that belong to the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, sharply attacking practices that led to a
lack of independence in the judiciary, police brutality and torture.
Though the United States and other established democracies came under
fire, the report was particularly critical of countries in Central
Asia, such as Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
"These countries have been independent now for 14 years," said Aaron
Rhodes, the executive director of the Vienna-based federation,
"The excuse that they are still grappling with the transition to
democracy is increasingly weak."
The federation ,which surveys OSCE nations annually, criticized the
United States, Britain and Russia for having serious human rights
violations stemming from anti-terrorism measures, with anti-Semitism,
Islamaphobia and other forms of intolerance on the rise. The group
charged that in the course of trying to improve security, the OSCE
members weakened human rights _ and set a poor example for countries
struggling with a shift toward democracy.
"This is something that threatens the human rights of everyone and
doesn't improve security," Rhodes said. "It alienates populations
from Western democracies and undermines their faith in the ideals
represented by these countries."
Activists heaped pressure on Central Asian nations such as Uzbekistan,
where government troops opened fire on unarmed protesters in the
eastern city of Andijan last month after militants seized a local
prison and government headquarters.
Human rights activists say 750 people died, while Uzbek authorities say
173 people were killed. The ex-Soviet republic's autocratic government
rejected calls for an independent international investigation into
the violence and President Islam Karimov has blamed the unrest on
Islamic extremists, accusing them of using civilians as human shields.
"They're justifying massacres of civilians in the name of fighting
terrorism," Rhodes said. "It's outrageous."
The organization noted the abuse of prisoners at the detention center
in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but revealed no new
details.
It said torture remained a serious concern in Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan,
Moldova, Ukraine Uzbekistan and Chechnya, where it said gross human
rights violations _ such as "disappearances" and extra-judicial
killings _ continued with virtual impunity.
The group also painted a bleak picture of media freedoms in the former
Soviet bloc, reporting that the government in Turkmenistan practiced
direct censorship and imposed total media control. In Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, the expression of
political opposition resulted in prosecution.
Even in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, led by pro-Western
President Mikhail Saakashvili, diversity in the media has narrowed
significantly since he took office, the federation said.
In Turkey, nearly 700 people have been sentenced to prison terms or
fines for expressing their views, the group said.