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Text: Ambassador Rubin's Remarks on
- Subject: Text: Ambassador Rubin's Remarks on
- From: moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 11 Nov 1999 20:00:00
Subject: Text: Ambassador Rubin's Remarks on Human Rights, Country Situations
08 November 1999
US DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Text: Ambassador Rubin's Remarks on Human Rights, Country
Situations
(Human rights in China deteriorated in past year, envoy says) (3380)
United Nations -- The United States singled out the human rights
situations in Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, China, Cuba, Belarus,
Bosnia, Croatia, and FR Yugoslavia as areas of concern during the
General Assembly's annual human rights review November 8.
In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly's Third Committee, Ambassador
Nancy Rubin also applauded the improvement of Nigeria's human rights
record over the last 16 months.
Rubin, who is the U.S. representative to the Commission on Human
Rights in Geneva, told the committee that "the overall human rights
situation in China has deteriorated since last year" with the
government's continued crackdown of political dissidents and abuses of
minority groups in Tibet and Xinjiang.
Rubin also said that the United States is concerned by:
-- continuing reports of harassment and intimidation of journalists
and political figures in the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
-- Cuba's regular intimidation and harassment of anyone who speaks
out;
-- Baghdad's denial of freedom of speech, assembly and religion to
Iraqi civilians;
-- Reports of mass arrests of hundreds of Hazara and Shia civilians in
central Afghanistan;
-- Belarus' retreat from international human rights principles;
-- Intensified restrictions on free speech, press and assembly in
Burma;
-- North Korea's continued denial of the most basic human rights of
its citizens;
-- Bosnia's failure to implement human rights decisions under the
Dayton agreements; and
-- Croatia's respect for due process, rule of law, ethnic minorities
and press freedoms falling short of OSCE standards.
Rubin said that with his regime's brutal use of police and military
force against Kosovo's Albanian community as well as the denial of
press, assembly and freedom of expression of all Yugoslavs, President
Slobodan Milosevic has "trampled on the rights of all citizens" of FRY
(Federal Republic of Yugoslavia).
Following is the text of the ambassador's remarks:
(begin text)
November 8, 1999
Statement by Ambassador Nancy Rubin, United States Representative to
the Commission on Human Rights, Human Rights: Country Situations, 3rd
Committee, November 8, 1999
Thank you Mr. Chairman. The United States remains concerned about
Human Rights all over the world. Allow me to review particular areas
of concern that we note around the world.
Mr. Chairman, in Sudan sixteen years of civil war has left nearly two
million people, most of them innocent civilians, dead. The government
of Sudan has frequently interfered with deliveries of emergency food
and supplies to victims of the war in the South. The government
continues to support the Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group
that has carried off thousands of Ugandan children into slavery and
forced military service. The Lord's Resistance Army is guilty of the
murders of many of these children. There continue to be credible
reports of slavery and the slave trade in Sudan. The Government of
Sudan must use its authority to stop the practice of slavery and trade
in human beings. Religious freedom is not guaranteed in Sudan.
Persecution of Christians and animists continues. Buildings belonging
to the Catholic Church in Khartoum have been destroyed and permits for
new church structures are routinely refused. Missionaries are denied
visas. Reports of attempts to force conversion of military recruits
and others are common. Priests and bishops have been arrested on
spurious charges. The human rights situation in Sudan is unlikely to
improve significantly as long as the civil war continues. We urge all
parties to negotiate seriously at the talks held under the auspices of
the Intergovernmental Authority on Development.
On the other hand, Nigeria's human rights record has improved greatly
over the last 16 months. The Aboubakar transitional government, and
since May the administration of President Obasanjo, have made great
progress in improving government respect for human rights. The
Government of Nigeria has released political prisoners, dismissed
corrupt associates of General Abacha, and invited political exiles to
return. The Nigerian Government held four rounds of elections between
last December and February, which, although marked by numerous
irregularities, did help the return to the path of democracy. Nigeria
already enjoyed a strong independent press, which continues to play a
vibrant role in civil society. While we applaud the Nigerian
Government for its displayed commitment to rooting out official
corruption, we urge the Government of Nigeria to rescind all remaining
repressive political decrees, including Decree Two, which allows the
government to arrest and detain persons without trial or access to
legal counsel.
Mr. Chairman, we are also concerned by continuing reports of
harassment, intimidation and detention of journalists, NGO personnel
and opposition political figures in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. Despite the peace accords signed in Lusaka this past summer,
neither measures to ensure security nor to broaden domestic political
participation have been effectively implemented. We are equally
concerned by human rights abuses in territory controlled by both
government and rebel groups. Turning to Burundi, the recent upswing in
rebel attacks and government counterattacks have indiscriminately
killed numerous civilians. We urge both sides to avoid actions, which
victimize the innocent.
In Iran, Mr. Chairman, despite some improvements, the government's
human rights record leaves much to be desired. Systematic abuses
include extrajudicial killings and summary executions, disappearances,
widespread use of torture and other degrading treatment, harsh prison
conditions, arbitrary arrest and detention, lack of due process, and
restrictions on freedom of speech, press, assembly, association,
religion, and movement.
Elements of the government have used violent tactics to oppose
widespread public interest in promoting greater attention to the rule
of law and the development of civil society. The trend toward greater
freedom of expression and thought, which we all welcome, is under
attack through arbitrary arrests, the closure of reform-oriented
publications, and the murders of several dissident writers. The
Government discriminates against ethnic and religious minorities,
particularly the Baha'is who have come under increasing repression by
conservative elements in the judiciary and security establishment.
Women face legal and social discrimination. Vigilant groups enforce
their interpretation of appropriate social behavior through
intimidation and violence.
In Iraq, the human rights situation remain alarming. Citizens are
denied freedom of speech, assembly, and religion. They have no right
to change their government. Relatives and close friends from Saddam
Hussein's hometown hold most key positions. A 1991 law outlaws
opposition parties, and the 250-seat national assembly has no power.
The rule of law is non-existent. State control is maintained by the
extensive use of intimidation through arrest, torture, and summary
execution. People have been executed merely because of their
association with an opposition group or as part of an effort to reduce
prison populations. Iraq's prisons are notoriously overcrowded. Some
hold as many as five times their designed capacity.
The Shi'ite Muslim majority, comprising over 60 percent of the
population, faces severe and ongoing persecution. Indeed, the scale
and seventy of Iraqi attacks on Shi'a civilians in the South of Iraq
seem to be increasing. The army arrested thousands of Shi'ites in 1999
and executed an undetermined number of these detainees. Security
forces have desecrated Shit'ite mosques and holy sites. The army has
indiscriminately targeted civilian Shit'ite Marsh Arab villagers,
razed homes, and, in order to flush out Shi'ite guerillas, has drained
southern Amara and Hammar marshes, causing grave environmental damage
and destroying entire villages. The Iraqi regime has used civilians,
including small children, as "human shields" against military attack.
It neglects the health and nutritional needs of its children, and
discriminates against religious minorities and ethnic groups. Human
rights monitors and other observers are restricted from investigating
abuses. The Special Rapporteur has been denied entry into Iraq for
seven years. The government and security forces have harassed,
intimidated, and reportedly offered rewards for killing international
relief personnel.
I think it is sadly ironic that Saddam's representatives would speak
at all on this issue here in New York with any words other than
contrition, shame and sorrow for the pain and suffering the regime has
brought upon its own people, particularly the vulnerable population
groups to the North and South of the country. The fact that Iraq
remains an agenda item speaks for itself. The fact that the
international community remains united in acknowledging the need for a
Special Human Rights Rapporteur speaks for itself. And finally, Mr.
Chairman, the fact that the Iraqi regime has refused to allowed that
Rapporteur to return to Iraq -- that Iraq "is still unwilling to
establish a constructive dialogue with the human rights mechanisms
established by the United Nations for the effective promotion and
protection of human rights" -- to quote directly from the report -- is
a fact that speaks louder than words. Whatever the Iraqis said here
earlier this morning is irrelevant, Mr. Chairman, it is what they do
in the region that counts.
Mr. Chairman, this year the people of Afghanistan were subjected to
another round of fighting. The Taliban's July 28 offensive against the
opposition forces drove tens of thousands from their homes and caused
hundreds of civilian casualties. In March, the visiting UN Rapporteur
on Human Rights, Dr. Kamal Hossain, described the Afghan people as
reduced to becoming hostages in their own land while externally armed
forces seek to rule Afghanistan without the effective participation or
consent of its people. This year we have received reports of mass
arrests of hundreds of Hazara and Shia civilians in Afghanistan's
central region by Taliban authorities, allegedly in reprisal for
attacks against Taliban forces. We call upon all factions to respect
the rights of non-combatants. We also call for the release of
non-combatants in detention, and a full investigation of reported mass
killings.
The human rights situation in Burma also remains dismal. The people of
Burma continue to live under a highly repressive, authoritarian
military regime that is widely condemned for its serious human rights
abuses. The regime has intensified its restrictions on basic rights of
free speech, press, assembly, and association and shows no sign of a
willingness to cede its hold on absolute power. Political party
activity remains severely restricted. Although the government
recognizes the opposition National League of Democracy as a legal
entity, they frequently prevent the party from conducting normal
activities. Since 1998 the regime has detained many NLD members and,
through security measures and threats, pressured others to resign,
closed party offices throughout the country, and severely constrained
the activities of NLD General Secretary Aung San Suu Kyi. One positive
development in the human rights situation in Burma this year was that
the government permitted the International Committee of the Red Cross
access to prisons and implemented some recommendations for reform.
Mr. Chairman, the overall human rights situation in China has
deteriorated since last year. The Government of China has continued
the crackdown on organized political dissent begun in late 1998 and
national and regional leaders of the China Democracy Party have
received harsh sentences for exercising their international right to
freedom of expression, speech and assembly. The crackdown on Falun
Gong spiritual movement also is of concern to the United States. Tens
of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained for
varying lengths of time and some leaders have received prison
sentences, books and tapes have been confiscated and destroyed and
practitioners have been subject of harassment and in some cases have
lost their jobs. While we take no position on its beliefs, the Falun
Gong appears to be a peaceful, nonpolitical movement that advocates
self-cultivation. The use of heavy-handed tactic and a legal ban to
suppress the movement appears to be unwarranted. China's efforts to
restrict religious practice and manifestations of belief in China,
including Tibet, are deeply troubling. We have called upon China to
relax or eliminate registration requirements for religious groups and
allow all groups to freely manifest their beliefs. The human rights
situation in areas where there are concentrations of minority groups
such as Tibet and Xinjiang have been a particular focus of human
rights concern. In Tibet, reports of the abuse of political and
religious prisoners continue and the patriotic reeducation campaign
has been intensified in an attempt to control monasteries. China has
made progress in legal reform and the Criminal Law and Criminal
Procedure laws have been redrafted. However, we remain concerned that
political and religious prisoners do not have the same protections as
ordinary Chinese and that due process is ignored in political cases.
In North Korea, there has been no perceivable progress in 1999 in
improving their poor record with regard to Human Rights, The North
Korean government continues to deny its citizens the most basic human
rights. We would like to see the government take steps to respect
fundamental human rights.
Mr. Chairman, last January, Indonesia announced its decision to hold a
consultation to allow the East Timorese to decide whether to remain
part of Indonesia or to become independent. In the months leading up
to the UN administered vote pro-autonomy militias, in many cases armed
and organized by the Indonesian army and police used violence and
harassment to intimidate voters. The situation deteriorated further
after the vote was announced and it became know that 80 percent of the
population had voted for independence. Militias went on a rampage
burning, looting, and killing. Over 500,000 people fled or were forced
from their homes. Over 250,000 are now in West Timor, in camps
controlled by the militias. The security situation in the camps has
made it impossible for those who want to return home to do so. It has
also made it impossible, in many cases, for International humanitarian
organizations to deliver humanitarian assistance. In East Timor, the
devastation to East Timor's towns and villages as a result of the
militia's scorched earth policy is overwhelming.
The Government of Cuba also continues to repress the fundamental
freedoms of its citizens, including the night to free speech,
assembly, religion, association and, most importantly, the right to
change their government peaceably. The Cuban government continues to
detain and arrest dissidents, human rights activists, and independent
journalists. Persons who seek peacefully to express their views are
regularly intimidated and harassed. The leaders of the Dissident
Working Group remain incarcerated for the "crime" of criticizing the
Cuban Communist Party Congress and urging democratic change. In sum,
the Cuban government continues to persecute those who speak out
against its policies. The state's instruments of repression are very
much intact, and there has been no systemic change. For these reasons,
the international community passed a resolution at the Commission on
Human Rights in April highlighting the government's failure to protect
basic human rights and urging it to do so.
Mr. Chairman, since the U.S. raised Belarus last year, Belarus has
retreated from international human rights principles. Serious and
frequent human rights violations continue, as does the absence of a
legal framework consistent with basic democratic principles. Excessive
power remains concentrated in the executive branch of the government
as a result of the 1996 constitutional referendum, which the OSCE
Troika and much of the international community rejected. Furthermore,
in 1996 President Aleksandr Lukasheriko extended his term of office by
an additional two years, until 2001. July 20th marked the end of his
legal term of office as president. He now holds power illegitimately.
The government continues to Suppress freedom of expression, of
association, and of assembly. Recent events, including the ongoing
detention and disappearances of prominent political figures, the
unjustified repression of the October 17 "Freedom March," and the
crackdown on independent media manifested by the closure of nine
independent publications, have been deeply disturbing. The U.S.
strongly urges the Government of Belarus to observe its international
human rights commitments, including freedom of expression,
association, and assembly.
Mr. Chairman, since Dayton, Bosnia and Herzegovina has made tremendous
progress. Still, much remains to be done. Decisions of the
Dayton-mandated Human Rights Chamber are generally not implemented.
Both State and entity level governments are required to implement
Chamber decisions, Freedom of speech and the press are limited by
political influence. Political parties often dominate the press and
the government applies slander laws selectively. Religious
discrimination/violence also persists. Sites and graveyards have been
vandalized; religious minorities are denied their right to
reclaim/rebuild religious sites. On a positive note, violence against
returning refugees and displaced persons decreased in 1999, although
harassment continues. Police protection also shows improvement.
However, the International Police Task Force remains concerned over
professionalism, political influence, and instances of interference
with refugee returns and excessive force. Judicial reform has made
advances. The Federation adopted a new criminal code, both Entities'
judges' and prosecutors' associations adopted codes of ethics, and the
High Representative imposed laws strengthening the Federation
prosecutor's office. Yet the judicial processes still do not
sufficiently protect the rights of accused.
Turning to Croatia, the Croatian constitution mandates respect for
basic human rights principles, but in reality, respect for due
process, rule of law, treatment of ethnic minorities and press
freedoms falls short of OSCE standards. A lengthy judicial process
plagues the Croatian judiciary; and the handling of a huge backlog, in
which cases of interest to the ruling party are processed more
expeditiously than others, has prompted credible allegations of
manipulation. Hoped for progress on election and media laws has not
happened. Both pieces of legislation will be important if free and
fair elections are to be held in December. The government continues to
maintain tight control over access to broadcast media and there has
been little progress in media reform. Courts and administrative bodies
have been used to obstruct media critical of the government. Croatia
must cooperate fully with the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. In
August, one International War Crimes Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia indictee was transferred after the Tribunal's President
reported Croatia's non-compliance to the Security Council. A second
has not yet been delivered to the Tribunal. Croatian courts have taken
it upon themselves to indict, try and convict ethnic Serbs of war
crimes without involving the tribunal. Croatia has made some progress
on refugee returns but much remains to be done. Croatia's commitment
to the protection of minority human rights has been more in word than
in deed. Harassment and physical attacks against ethnic Serbs have
increased in the last year.
Mr. Chairman, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has again taken
several giant leaps backward. The year's human rights situation has
been dominated by the horrific ethnic violence that consumed Kosovo
during the first part of this year. The Milosevic regime's brutal use
of police and military forces against the civilian population of
Kosovo, coupled with a systematic effort to ethnically cleanse the
province of its Albanian community, resulted in waves of refugees. In
response to the unfolding humanitarian tragedy that was Kosovo, the
international community intervened. Full economic and political
support must be given to UNMIK as it works to develop a democratic and
tolerant Kosovo. UNMIK's task is compounded by the fact that Milosevic
has infected the province with a desire for retribution. No effort can
be spared in the search for reconciliation. Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia authorities are holding thousands of detainees removed to
Serbia from Kosovo after hostilities ended this summer. These
detainees must be accounted for and released. The Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia, whose President and four other senior officials have been
indicted by the International War Crimes Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia, must cooperate with the Tribunal and surrender indictees
for justice. Violations of basic human rights have not been limited to
Kosovo. The entire country has suffered as Milosevic trampled on the
rights of all citizens of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to
freedom of assembly, media, thought, and expression. A draconian
information law instituted in late 1998 has been used to stifle
independent media across Serbia, including the murder of Dnevni
Telegraf publisher Slavko Curuvija this past spring. Attempts to
stifle academic freedom through intensifying state control of
university faculties continues.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
proclaimed fundamentals of human dignity and freedom for all peoples
in all nations. The United States pledges to continue to fight,
struggle and eventually triumph in this great cause. Progress has been
made, but much remains to be done in our shared quest to achieve human
rights for all.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman
(end text)