IHF Annual Report 2006: Crackdown on Democratic Forces

in the Name of Preserving Security and Stability in Central Asia

Vienna/Almaty, 12 June 2006. The report Human Rights in the OSCE Region: Report 2006, which the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) released today, documents that the governments of Central Asia increasingly used security and stability concerns to justify repressive measures toward civil society, media and opposition in 2005.

“Apparently fearful of democratic change and accountability, those in power in the region exploited the global ‘war on terror’ to crack down on civil society activists and others engaged in efforts to monitor the conduct of authorities,” said Aaron Rhodes, IHF Executive Director. “Following the so-called Tulip revolution in Kyrgyzstan in March, the governments of the neighboring states intensified their efforts to prevent a similar scenario from taking place in their countries,” he continued.

The worst crackdown on democratic forces took place in Uzbekistan in the aftermath of the May massacre of civilian protestors in Andijan, and the few civil society activists and foreign journalists who continued to work in Turkmenistan did so at serious risk for their own safety.

Major human rights developments in each of the five Central Asian countries in 2005 are summarized below.

Kazakhstan:

• Despite certain improvements, the December presidential elections failed to comply with international standards. Voters were pressured to support the incumbent president, and the campaigns of opposition candidates were obstructed in different ways.
• Pressure on independent media increased during the run-up to the elections. The country’s major opposition newspaper was closed down and journalists were intimidated and physically assaulted.  

·         The authorities intensified controls over civil society groups and legislation adopted to enhance national security established new vague grounds for closing down NGOs. Draft legislation requiring NGOs to obtain approval from authorities prior to receiving foreign grants was also introduced, but was subsequently declared invalid by the Constitutional Court and did not enter into force.

·         New anti-extremism legislation granted authorities wide powers to interfere with the activities of religious organizations and the secret service took on an increasingly prominent role in combating the spread of “non-traditional” religious beliefs.

• A moratorium on the death penalty remained in force, but no decisive measures toward full abolition were taken. A number of asylum seekers who fled Uzbekistan after the Andijan events were returned to their home country despite a serious risk for their safety upon return.  

Kyrgyzstan:

·         A public uproar caused by flawed parliamentary elections held in February-March brought an end to the authoritarian rule of President Akaev. This “revolution” gave rise to great expectations for political and socio-economic improvement. However, while the new government pledged commitment to human rights and democracy, actual reforms were slow in coming, and there was no real dialogue between the government and civil society.

·         The government declared as one of its priorities to ensure media freedom and took a number of steps toward this end, such as drafting new media legislation. However, following a short period of liberalization, political pressure on media increased again toward the end of the year.

·         No effective measures were taken to combat corruption and the influence of organized crime on politics was a serious concern. The new government also failed to address the problem of widespread immunity for torture and ill-treatment, which contributed to fostering mistrust toward law enforcement authorities as well as reluctance to report experiences of abuse.

·         Child labor remained widespread and in some rural areas only 10% of all children reportedly attended school because they had to work to contribute to their families’ sustenance and/or because their families could not afford school fees.

·         The moratorium on the death penalty first introduced in 1989 remained in force, but death sentences continued to be pronounced. More than 100 people were on death row and were reportedly held in deplorable conditions.

Tajikistan:

• The February parliamentary elections showed certain improvements in comparison to previous elections, but still failed to meet international standards. In particular, serious irregularities were reported on election day.

·         Freedom of expression and the media was under growing attack. Two private printing houses were closed down, two independent TV-stations were taken off air and a number of political opponents and outspoken journalists were criminally prosecuted on spurious grounds.

• In the context of the so-called color revolutions in other countries of the region, the authorities stepped up their efforts to monitor the activities of NGOs, in particular those receiving funding from abroad. Several NGOs were closed down, while others were denied registration for alleged violations of the law. A new draft law put forward in late 2005 established new burdensome reporting obligations for NGOs.

·         Tajikistan was the poorest of the countries of the former Soviet Union, and 70% of the population lived in absolute poverty. Traditional attitudes concerning the role of women enhanced the vulnerability of women to domestic violence, and although a number of positive steps were taken to combat trafficking in human beings, there was still room for considerable improvement in terms of the prosecution of traffickers.

·         The moratorium on the death penalty introduced in 2004 remained in place, and criminal code provisions establishing life imprisonment as an alternative to capital punishment entered into force.

Turkmenistan:

·         Turkmenistan remained a repressive and closed society, where President-for-Life Niyazov controlled all branches of power, and no open opposition, independent media or real civil society was allowed to exist. Anyone who sought to voice any form of dissent was highly vulnerable to persecution, including prosecution for treason.

·         The regime continued to emphasize ideology as a key element in its system of control, and the efforts to promote the personality cult surrounding the president increasingly assumed religious proportions. Citizens were encouraged to study, discuss and use the president’s spiritual code Rukhnama as a moral code of conduct in their daily lives, and religious leaders were expected to glorify the president at the beginning of prayer recitals.

• The policies of fostering a homogenous Turkmen nation continued and members of ethnic and national minorities were systematically discriminated against in education and employment. 

·         Those imprisoned for their role in the alleged assassination attempt against President Niyazov in late 2002 remained in incommunicado detention and were denied contacts to the outside world. Some of them reportedly died because of harsh treatment.

·         Turkmen authorities sought to ensure that Islamic practice in the country was consistent with “national custom,” including by promoting a set of “approved” rituals. Meetings of minority religious groups were routinely raided, even when held in private homes.

Uzbekistan:

·         On 13 May, hundreds of civilian demonstrators were massacred by police and security forces in the region of Andijan. The Uzbek government denied all responsibility for the deaths, and rejected all demands for an impartial investigation into the events.

·         The Uzbek government blamed the Andijan violence on “religious extremists,” and in late 2005, a group of people accused of involvement in the violence were sentenced to lengthy prison sentences in show trials, where they confessed to all charges and provided testimonies that closely corresponded to the official version of the events.

• In the aftermath of the Andijan events, independent media, civil society and opposition were the targets of an unprecedented crackdown. Those critical of authorities were intimidated, arrested, criminally prosecuted and physically assaulted, and defamation campaigns were carried out to stir public opinion against civil society. Numerous journalists and human rights defenders were forced to flee the country to escape prosecution.
• There were dozens of new arrests of Muslims who practice their faith outside of state-controlled institutions but do not advocate or endorse violence and minority religious communities continued to face repression such as raids, interrogation and fines.
• The death penalty remained in use, with executions shrouded in great secrecy and the families of death row prisoners sometimes living in uncertainty as to whether their relatives were still alive or had been executed.

The IHF report Human Rights in the OSCE Region: Report 2006 (Events of 2005) covers developments in 2005 in 39 countries in Europe, Central Asia and North America. The report and a general press release – “Trampling on Fundamental Rights in the Name of ‘National Security’” are available at the website of the IHF, at http://www.ihf-hr.org