AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
AI Index: EUR 01/006/2005 (Public)
News Service No: 112
3 May 2005
Europe and Central Asia: Human rights activists harassed, tortured and persecuted
Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others,
to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human
rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international
levels.
UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders
Threats, harassment and intimidation against those who defend and
protect human rights are unacceptable. The rights to freedom of
expression, association and assembly are fundamental human rights,
Amnesty International said on World Press Freedom Day.
The Russian Federation, Belarus, Turkmenistan and Turkey are among
the countries in Europe and Central Asia with the poorest record
of government harassment and persecution of people for peacefully
exercising these rights. Amnesty International is concerned that the
activities of human rights activists are being criminalized by the
state, and that state officials are harassing, arresting and torturing
them without fear of repercussions.
“Officials at every level of the state apparatus, including law
enforcement officials, must respect the legitimacy of the work of
people who defend and protect human rights and allow them to act
without hindrance or harassment. They should publicly promote respect
for and protect the rights to freedom of expression, association and
assembly,” Nicola Duckworth, Amnesty International’s Director of the
Europe and Central Asia Programme, said.
In Belarus, the authorities do not tolerate any public criticism or
dissent and have virtually monopolized the media — critics of the
regime risk imprisonment at the hands of a procuracy and judiciary
under the control of the government. Amnesty International’s latest
report Belarus: Suppressing the last voices of public dissent presents
how the authorities use controversial legislation to restrict the
possibilities for non-governmental organizations, political parties,
trade unions, journalists and individuals to express their personal
opinion. Harassment, intimidation, excessive force, mass detentions
and long-term imprisonment are increasingly employed as methods to
quash any civil or political dissent.
In Turkmenistan — as documented in Amnesty International’s new
report Turkmenistan: The clampdown on dissent and religious freedom
continues that was issued today — anyone the authorities suspect of
any form of dissent is at risk of being subjected to unfair trials,
torture and ill-treatment. Their relatives are in many cases evicted
from their homes, their property is confiscated and they are sacked
from their jobs. Independent civil society groups find it impossible
to operate and several activists have been forced into exile. The
authorities control all media. They have taken a series of measures to
curb access to independent sources of information within the country
and to prevent critical information from reaching the international
community including by cracking down on journalists who cooperate with
foreign media outlets known to be critical of the authorities. The
President-for-life Saparmurat Niyazov and self-proclaimed Turkmenbashi
(Father of all Turkmen) dominates all aspects of life in the country.
In the Russian Federation, activists trying to disseminate information
about the human rights situation in the North Caucasus, as well
as victims seeking justice at the European Court of Human Rights
find themselves increasingly the targets of harassment and human
rights abuses – several of them have even been killed. The Russian
authorities appear to be tightening their control on the media to
the point where information about the human rights situation in
Chechnya and its neighbouring republics in the North Caucasus is
stifled through censorship or self-censorship.
In Turkey, despite recent legal and constitutional reforms,
human rights defenders continue to be targeted for harassment and
intimidation by state officials. Their activities, their rights to
freedom of expression, association and assembly are still restricted
through a huge number of laws and regulations. Many local officials
— police chiefs, governors, prosecutors — continue to view human
rights defenders as “enemies of the state”. Activists of human rights
organizations, such as the Human Rights Association (IHD), have been
threatened, arrested, prosecuted, tortured, abducted and killed. At
least 12 IHD representatives have been killed since 1991. In most cases
the killers have never been identified, and members of the Turkish
security forces have been strongly implicated in some of the killings.
“The work of an independent human rights movement is crucial to any
society, in order to safeguard the human rights of all people and in
the construction of a just society,” Nicola Duckworth said.
“Governments must ensure that killings, ‘disappearances’, torture
and ill-treatment of and threats against human rights activists are
thoroughly and impartially investigated and those responsible must
be brought to justice.”
Amnesty International calls on the international community to exert
pressure on the governments of the Russian Federation, Belarus,
Turkmenistan and Turkey to stop the intimidation of human rights
activists and to ensure that everybody can enjoy their rights to the
freedoms of expression, association and assembly.
Background On 16 January 2004, the mutilated body of 29-year-old
Aslan Davletukaev was found near the town of Gudermes in Chechnya. He
had been working with the human rights organization Society for
Russian-Chechen Friendship, which documents violations including
“disappearances”, torture and unlawful killings in the North
Caucasus. Aslan Davletukaev had reportedly been detained by Russian
federal forces on 9 January 2004. An investigation into his death has
been opened and closed several times but nobody has yet been found
responsible for his death.
On 30 September 2004, the editor of the Belarusian independent weekly
Birzha Informatsii, Elena Rovbetskaia was fined the equivalent
of US$600 for criticizing the referendum which allowed President
Lukashenka to serve more than the previous limit of two terms. In
November the same year, the weekly was ordered to close down for three
months for the same alleged offence. Due to the lack of independent
printing houses the publication is still not available in print.
In July 2004, Radio Liberty correspondent Saparmurat Ovezberdiev
was forced into exile from Turkmenistan because of his work for
the Turkmen Section of the radio station. He had been under close
surveillance for many years and pressurized to stop his work. Members
of his family have also been targeted in an attempt to silence him
even after his departure.
On 19 April 2005, three members of the Human Rights Association (IHD)
in Turkey, Eren Keskin, Saban Dayanan and Dogan Genc, received death
threats from an ultra-nationalist group called the Turkish Revenge
Brigade (Turk Intikam Tugayi). This group claimed responsibility
for an armed attack in 1998 on the then IHD president, Akin Birdal,
in which he was critically wounded.
For further information please see:
Appeal Case: The Russian-Chechen Friendship Society under threat
Russian Federation: Concerns over reports of
“disappearances” of relatives of Aslan Maskhadov
Russian Federation: Human rights group threatened by security forces
005
Russian Federation: The Risk of Speaking Out: Attacks on Human
Rights Defenders in the context of the armed conflict in Chechnya
Belarus: Suppressing the last voices of peaceful dissent
r490042005
Belarus: Chernobyl commemorations end in large-scale arrests
Turkm enistan: The clampdown on dissent and religious freedom continues
2005
Turkey: Death threats/Fear for safety
440142005
Human Rights Defenders at Risk
0202004
Public Document
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in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 Amnesty International, 1 Easton St.,
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