22 April 2003
UN COMMISSION LETS ABUSERS OFF THE HOOK: HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
It seems human rights, including freedom of expression, have taken a back seat at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights this year. That's according to Human Rights Watch, which says the commission - the world's highest human rights body - is failing to condemn countries who commit the most serious human rights abuses.
Last week, resolutions criticising several countries and territories, including Zimbabwe, Cuba, Sudan and Chechnya, and calling for measures to improve human rights were tabled at the commission. All of them except Cuba were rejected. In the case of Sudan, that meant the UN will no longer be able to conduct human rights monitoring there for at least one year.
Human Rights Watch says the voting showed that many commission members are more concerned with protecting each other than protecting the victims of human rights violations. "A growing bloc of repressive governments, including Algeria, China, Cuba, Libya, Russia, Sudan, Syria and Zimbabwe, have become progressively more aggressive in blocking or obstructing resolutions critical of any specific country."
The voting also showed Western governments were failing to take action against governments who flagrantly abused human rights, particularly their new-found friends in the fight against terrorism, Human Rights Watch says. "Western governments have weakened the commission's response to some of the worst human rights situations."
In the case of Chechnya, the United States refused to co-sponsor a resolution condemning human rights violations there, Human Rights Watch notes. In a briefing paper presented to the UN Commission, the group noted that Russia continues to prevent international observers and journalists from entering Chechnya in an "apparent attempt to limit the flow of information on human rights abuses."
Russian authorities have denied entry to Human Rights Watch ten times and forced the OSCE Assistance Group to Chechnya to leave the territory. Russia has also delayed inviting UN Rapporteurs on torture and extra-judicial executions to Chechnya despite two UN human rights commission resolutions requiring it to do so, HRW notes.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch says violations in Chechnya appear to be increasing. Between December 2002 and February 2003, Russian troops "disappeared" at least 26 people while new cases of torture, arbitrary detention and extrajudicial executions appeared.
Meanwhile, Chechen rebels are continuing to carry out assassinations of village administrators and civil servants working for the pro-Moscow government in Chechnya, Human Rights Watch adds.
Freedom House has named Chechnya one of the world's most repressive regimes. In a report submitted to the UN commission, Freedom House notes that "civilians have been subject to harassment and violence, including torture, rape, and extrajudicial executions, at the hands of Russian soldiers, while senior military authorities have shown general disregard for these abuses."
Freedom of information has also suffered, with the Russian military continuing to impose severe restrictions on journalists' access to the Chechen war zone, issuing accreditation primarily to those of proven loyalty to the Russian government, says Freedom House.
Read Human Rights Watch's Report on Chechnya:
www.hrw.org
View Freedom House's list of the World's Most Repressive Regimes:
www.freedomhouse.org
Visit these links:
- Human Rights Watch on the UN Commission's Crisis:
www.hrw.org
- UN Commission on Human Rights:
www.unhchr.ch
- International PEN's Submission to the UN Commission:
www.pencanada.ca
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