1998 IHF Annual Report
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Date: Fri, 26 Jun 1998 11:30:31 +0300 (EET DST)
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Subject: 1998 IHF Annual Report
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Greek Helsinki Monitor <[email protected]>
1998 IHF Annual Report
This press release and the IHF Annual Report 1998 are embargoed for 27
June 1998.
IHF Annual Report 1998:
OSCE States Continue to Violate Their Human Rights Commitments
- Atrocities in Kosovo 1998 -
Budapest/Vienna, 27 June 1998. The International Helsinki Federation
for Human Rights (IHF) today published its Annual Report 1998,
focusing on problems of noncompliance with Helsinki standards and
international law in 41 out of 54 participating States of the
Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Human rights developments in the 41 countries varied greatly in 1997,
the period covered by the report: what progress was made in
strengthening compliance with international human rights standards in
some countries was overshadowed by dramatic deterioration in a number
of other countries, most notably in Belarus and Slovakia.
In Belarus, governmental policies and tactics more and more resembled
those of Stalin, apparently aimed, in the words of the European
Division of Human Rights Watch, IHF's US affiliate, at "crushing civil
society." Human rights violations attained massive dimensions n 1997
and there was no impartial judicial framework in existence to protect
individuals' rights.
The human rights situation in the Slovak Republic deteriorated and was
exacerbated by public apathy. The government increased its efforts to
influence courts, including the Supreme Court. Intolerance and
aggressive state attitudes toward minorities increased; the virtual
absence of reactions against neo-nazi violence could be read as a form
of tacit approval.
In Albania, following the collapse of the rule of law in early 1997,
and taking of office of the new government, it was possible to observe
more tolerance of political opinions and more freedom of expression.
However, the judicial system remained unprofessional and corrupt and
police violence continued, although it apparently no longer is backed
by the government.
It was still impossible for refugees and displaced persons to return
to their homes in the divided Bosnia-Herzegovina; ethnic harassment
and violence and expulsions continued and the division of the country
into three areas dominated by ethnic majorities deepened.
In Kosovo, the situation of the ethnic Albanian majority population
deteriorated, the crisis escalating dramatically in early 1998 to an
undeclared but open war in about one-third of the territory. In June
1998, an IHF fact-finding mission, composed of members of Helsinki
Committees in Albania, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Serbia,
and the IHF Secretariat interviewed ethnic Albanian refugees from
Kosovo in Albania and Montenegro. The mission's report will provide
information to the International Criminal Tribunal for Former
Yugoslavia (ICTY), international organizations and the media about
atrocities in Kosovo.
In Russia, the freedom of expression and of the media were threatened
by the influence of huge corporations in whose hands the ownership of
major newspapers and television stations was concentrated. The result
was that rival financial clans with political ambitions increasingly
influenced the character and quantity of information about political
and social problems.
The IHF pointed out that human rights violations by no means only
occurred in the former socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe.
For example, in the United States, the scope of judicial review was
restricted and legislation from 1996 seriously curtailed the ability
of certain defendants to obtain a fair trial. The treatment of
refugees deteriorated; the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant
Responsibility Act of 1996 left many asylum seekers with no standing
to pursue asylum cases. Prison conditions worsened and humiliating
methods of punishment, including leg shackles, were increasingly used.
Executions were carried out at a record pace.
The goal of national policies on all parts of the OSCE was apparently
to stop flows of refugees and immigrants. Access to asylum procedures
was restricted; procedures were accelerated; the principle of "safe
third country" was used even when the asylum procedures in such third
countries were inadequate; individual cases were often not properly
investigated; and applicants were deported while appeals were pending.
Attitudes toward migrants and foreigners in general hardened in
Western European countries.
Intolerance towards national or religious minorities was one of the
main concerns in numerous countries. This tendency was reflected in
new, restrictive legislation on religious associations, often tailored
to "protect" the status of "traditional" churches and aimed at
restricting the spread of the so-called new religions.
Judicial systems continued to be paralyzed in most formerly
totalitarian countries and courts were misused to harm critics of
ruling parties. In Croatia, for example, the regime brought baseless
libel trials against newspapers and civil organizations including the
Helsinki Committee; in Belarus, the Helsinki Committee's trial
observation teams reported that judges could be heard telephoning
political bosses before decisions were announced. In many countries,
there were huge case backlogs while the accused often spent years in
primitive pre-trial detention facilities, even perishing there because
of unsanitary and inhumane conditions.
Prison conditions in most former socialist states deteriorated
dramatically, resulting to numerous deaths e.g. in Russia. Prisons
were overcrowded and infectious diseases, particularly tuberculosis,
spread in absence of proper medical care. Imprisonment for minor
offenses, such as theft, was often used as a method to fight
increasing criminality. Yet, criminality itself is linked in many
cases to the failures of governments: In most post-Soviet states,
workers have not received their wages in over a year.
The death penalty appeared to receive increasing support. Although it
was abolished by some countries (e.g., Ukraine and Georgia) under
pressure from the Council of Europe, discussions were underway in
several states for its reinstatement.
Police brutality remained a major human rights problem in most OSCE
states, East and West. It was often racially motivated - affecting
immigrants, refugees, Roma, and other ethnic minorities. Torture and
ill-treatment at arrest or in detention were commonplace.
The IHF Annual Report 1998 is primarily based on information received
from its affiliated Helsinki committees in 34 states or regions and
partner organizations in additional countries.
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) is a
non-governmental organization that seeks to promote compliance of the
participating States of the Organization on Security and Cooperation
in Europe with the human rights provisions of the Helsinki Final Acts
and its Follow-Up Documents. The IHF represents national Helsinki
Committees in 34 countries.
Address: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
Rummelhardtgasse 2/18, A-1090 Vienna
Tel. +43-1-402 73 87 or 408 88 22
Fax: +43-1-408 74 44
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.ihf-hr.org
______________________________________
Greek Helsinki Monitor &
Minority Rights Group - Greece
P.O. Box 51393
GR-14510 Kifisia
Greece
Tel. +30-1-620.01.20
Fax +30-1-807.57.67
e-mail: [email protected]
http://www.greekhelsinki.gr
______________________________________
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