IHF report on minority human rights in OSCE states

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Subject: IHF report on minority human rights in OSCE states 

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IHF report on human rights in OSCE states 


IHF:  Human Rights Violations in Some OSCE States at "Crisis Levels"

Vienna, 23 October 1998.  The brutal repression of ethnic Albanians in
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as well as the persecution of
minority groups in other nations throughout Europe and Central Asia,
ranked among the worst human rights violations this year within member
states of the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE), according to a new report published by the International
Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF).

"Virtually no OSCE signatory State conforms completely to its Helsinki
human rights commitments.  But some members violate those commitments
at crisis levels, which truly threaten security," stated Aaron Rhodes,
IHF Executive Director.  "That calls into question the integrity not
only of the Helsinki process, but adherence to Council of Europe and
UN standards as well."

Yugoslav government attacks on ethnic Albanian homes and villages in
the Kosovo region, where Serb militias have killed hundreds of
civilians and left hundreds of thousands homeless and destitute, are
treated in detail in the wide-ranging report, which has been delivered
to delegations for the OSCE Implementation Meeting on Human Dimension
Issues in Warsaw (26 October - 6 November 1998).  Since open war
erupted in Kosovo between ethnic Albanian guerillas and Yugoslav
government troops in February, massacres, mutilations and torture, the
vast majority by Serb militia against Albanian civilians, have been
documented. But discrimination, repression, and violence against
minority groups are not limited to Yugoslavia. The IHF report observes
degrees of compliance with international human rights standards in 28
of the 54 OSCE member states.

The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, while included in the report, is
currently suspended from the OSCE, notes a continuing trend of
hostility towards immigrants, refugees, and members of minority groups
in most other nations, reflected in discriminatory policies, incidents
of violence against minorities, a reluctance to discipline or
prosecute law enforcement officials involved in hate crimes, and
restrictive asylum laws.

In many nations, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and
Macedonia, members of the Roma minority suffer harassment and beatings
by other citizens and by police. In Greece, ethnic Turks and
Macedonians are denied official recognition and freedom of expression
and association.  Minority groups also face discrimination when
seeking housing, employment, and citizenship. In Slovenia, numerous
residents of non-Slovene ethnic origin are still awaiting decisions on
citizenship applications. Croatian authorities discriminate against
residents of non-Croat ethnic background, denying them citizenship
papers and fundamental legal rights.
 
Immigrants and refugees in some OSCE states often face enormous
hurdles. In France, strict visa requirements have made it virtually
impossible for asylum seekers to lawfully enter the country, resulting
in a dramatic drop in asylum applications. Refugees who do reach
France encounter difficulties in registering their applications, and
sometimes face immediate deportation as a result of the "priority
procedure."  Moldova still lacks national legislation on asylum and
extradition. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, only a fraction of refugees
displaced by the 1992-95 war have been able to return to their homes
in areas where they are minorities.

The report also documents other areas of non-compliance, including
abuse by law enforcement officials.  Prison guards and police in a
number of countries, including Georgia, Russia, and Turkey, continue
to routinely extract "confessions" from detainees or prisoners through
beatings and torture. Unfair detention practices, such as barring
detainees from access to lawyers, are also widely reported within OSCE
member states.

Capital punishment is still part of the penal code in Albania, Latvia,
and the United States. Thirty-eight individuals were killed in the
U.S. in 1998, including several people who may have been mentally ill
or retarded, and a Paraguayan national who had not been notified of
his right under the Vienna Convention to contact his embassy.

Basic standards of international law, such as an impartial judiciary,
are ignored in countries such as Belarus, where courts are subject to
heavy political intervention. In Croatia, corrupt judges, unfair trial
procedures, and ethnic biases have led to arbitrary arrests and
convictions. Albania, consumed by political turmoil, still lacks a
post-communist constitution.

Observers of election procedures in eight nations reported violations
ranging from ballot-box stuffing and vote-buying (Armenia) to
government bans on opposition campaign advertising on private
broadcast media (Slovakia).

State control and restriction of the media is a significant problem in
many countries.  Despite the official abolishment of censorship in
Azerbaijan in August, many independent media outlets have been shut
down by the government. In Greece, journalists have been sentenced to
prison in libel cases, merely for criticizing public officials. In
Belarus, the vast majority of the media is state-controlled and
prohibited from publishing or broadcasting criticism of the
government.

A number of governments are attempting to adopt legal provisions aimed
at "protecting" individuals from "new religions" or "sects," while
supporting "traditional" religions. In Bulgaria, police have shut down
meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses and confiscated books and brochures,
while in France, minority religions are denied access to public
meeting halls or charged unreasonably high rents.

This report is primarily based on information contributed by the IHF`s
affiliated Helsinki committees in 34 states or regions and partner
organizations in additional countries.
 
For more information:
Aaron Rhodes, IHF Executive Director,
Brigitte Dufour, IHF Deputy Executive Director
Tel: +43-1-402 73 87, e-mail: [email protected]

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