IHF Interventions at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw

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[w1andsodidwe]

Vienna, 4 September 2002 - The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) has submitted a set of statements to the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that document serious violations of the Helsinki Human Rights standards. The meeting will be held from 9 to 19 September in Warsaw. It will deal with some key human rights issues such as freedom of expression and freedom of religion; the right to a fair trial, freedom of association and peaceful assembly; prevention of torture and minority rights; as well as the prevention of aggressive nationalism, xenophobia and racism. Also recent problems related to international humanitarian law (the laws of war) and refugee issues will be discussed. All these rights are constantly violated in most of the OSCE member states.

The IHF statements are mainly based on information received from its member Helsinki Committees and partners throughout the OSCE region. Among other problems, the following issues are dealt with:

· Minority religions are repressed all over the OSCE region. This has led to mass arrests and torture of Muslims in Central Asia. So-called “new religions” are being deprived of their rights also in the countries of Western Europe.

· In Kyrgyzstan, in the Aksyi region, the police shot six during peaceful demonstrations; hundreds were arrested and tortured. Criminal cases against the perpetrators have not been pursued.

· Azerbaijan, Belarus and Georgia have restricted or are in the process of restricting foreign funding to NGOs. This measure severely infringes the work of these NGO’s; in some cases it might even “silence” them.

· The international anti-terrorism campaign has granted the Central Asian governments a new and further excuse to repress freedom of expression, political and religious pluralism and civil society activities. Especially the Muslim population in these countries is affected, as they are being oppressed under the pretext of sympathizing with Islamic extremists.

· In Kazakhstan, a large wave of oppression has been underway since early 2002: recent legislative acts make it virtually impossible for citizens to exercise any political will. Freedom of the press and freedom of expression have also been extremely stifled in the last months, culminating in the assault of the journalist and human rights defender, Sergei Duvanov who was, due to the attack, severely injured in Almaty on August 27th of this year.

Also in Kazachstan, 25-year-old Leyla Baiseitova, disappeared shortly after her mother Lira published in Soldat an interview with Swiss officials concerning the Kazakh president’s Swiss accounts. On 21 June, police from the Medeo District in Almaty informed the mother that Leyla had committed suicide in custody following her arrest on drug charges. The IHF has received credible information that her body bore signs of torture and sexual abuse. The police refused a request of autopsy. Lira Baiseitova is hiding at the time of writing.

· In Uzbekistan, numerous independent Muslims have been detained in prison camps, on fabricated charges. They are imprisoned in places such as the camp of Yaslyk, which is notorious for ill treatment, torture and extremely poor conditions. It is situated in a former chemical weapons testing area. Journalists in Uzbekistan are being harassed on a regular basis. Serious, independent reporting is thus impossible.

· In the aftermath of the 11 September terror attacks in the US, many OSCE member states have adopted legislation or engaged in practices that seriously compromise basic human rights standards.

· In many countries (e.g. Georgia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan) torture or ill treatment are often an integral part of police interrogation.

· The IHF will also make an intervention on women’s rights, as despite certain progress that has been made in the field of women’s rights in OSCE member states, women continue to suffer myriad forms of discrimination. Inadequate and inefficient legal systems, improper monitoring and implementation mechanisms, and a limited social and political will to prioritise women’s issues, particularly in the wake of terrorist activities which appear as a more legitimate threat to peace and security, all serve to inhibit the work of governmental and non-governmental organizations working towards ensuring de facto gender equality.

· In the United States, a new law requires women to post newspaper ads listing their sex partners when they put their children, born out of wedlock, up for adoption.

· The EU and other Western European countries apply asylum policies that endanger the right to asylum, many other countries follow this deplorable model.

For more information: Aaron Rhodes, Executive Director, phone +43-1-408 8822 or +43-676-635 66 17 Brigitte Dufour, Deputy Executive Director phone +43-1-408 8822 or +43-676-690 2457 Henriette Schroeder, Press Officer, +43-3-408 8822 or +43-676-725 4829

[w1andsodidwe]

Minority religions are repressed all over the OSCE region. This has led to mass arrests and torture of Muslims in Central Asia. So-called “new religions” are being deprived of their rights also in the countries of Western Europe.

I guess this group didn't hear about all of the synagogs being destroyed in Europe. Just when did Islam become a new religion?

I believe that this is an arm of the UN. I received this email as a member of Soroptimist International. Soroptimist International has NGO status at the UN.

[Shermy]

"Azerbaijan, Belarus and Georgia have restricted or are in the process of restricting foreign funding to NGOs. This measure severely infringes the work of these NGO’s; in some cases it might even “silence” them."

Good. they are front organizations for terrorists.