Background to the Geneva Meeting
China
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East Timor
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Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
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Haiti Documents
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Oral Statement by Human Rights Watch
Item 17: Human Rights Defenders
Human rights defenders around the world are persecuted, imprisoned, tortured and, in some cases, pay the highest price for their work on behalf of and commitment to the ideals of human rights.
Human Rights Watch joins colleagues around the world in denouncing the July 1999 killing of Sri Lankan human rights defender Neelan Tiruchelvam. Neelan was a vocal critic of abuses by all sides in the Sri Lankan conflict, a tireless advocate for minority rights, and a respected constitutional lawyer. He dedicated his life to finding a peaceful solution to his country's protracted war. His murder by a suicide bomber, allegedly sent by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, was a devastating blow to the human rights community.
Since their emergence in 1992, human rights defenders in Uzbekistan have worked under the pressure of rigorous government surveillance and harassment. The government has steadfastly refused to grant registration to the two leading non-governmental groups, rendering their activities illegal. Following a series of bombings in the country's capital, Tashkent, in February 1999, the Uzbek government intensified its campaign against independent rights activists. These groups' members were actively involved in documenting arbitrary arrests, torture, and unfair trials that took place during the extensive police crackdown following the bombings. Law enforcement officers arrested, beat, threatened and otherwise harassed rights defenders in an effort to punish and silence them. In a tactic unseen since the Stalin era, authorities forced several activists to attend public meetings in which speakers insulted them and accused them of "anti-state activity." Two of the country's most prominent human rights defenders, Mahbuba Kasymova and Ismoil Adylov of the Independent Human Rights Organization of Uzbekistan, were sentenced to five and six years in prison, respectively, on wholly spurious charges. Adylov is seriously ill with a chronic kidney ailment, and prison authorities have denied him medicine provided by his family and access to medical treatment.
In Syria, independent nongovernmental organizations are not permitted. Defenders face grossly unfair trials and harsh punishment, including torture. Five defenders--Muhamed Ali Habib, Afif Munzer, Thabet Murad, Nizar Nayouf, and Bassam al-Shaykh--currently serve eight to ten year prison terms solely for the peaceful exercise of freedom of association and expression.
Tunisia goes to extraordinary lengths to intimidate and impede those who speak out on behalf of victims of human rights abuses. This week the authorities forcibly evacuated and sealed the offices of Editions Aloés, following a gathering to discuss press freedoms. Police conduct constant highly visible surveillance of activists and lawyers, to intimidate both them and victims who seek remedies. Those who criticize the government's human rights record routinely face prison terms for "defamation" of the authorities and for "spreading false news." The government has refused to grant legal recognition to the National Council on Liberties in Tunisia, and has detained and hauled into court its leading members--Moncef Marzouki, Omar Mestiri, and Toufiq Ben Brik--for their "illegal" human rights activities. The passports of these and
numerous other human rights activists have been confiscated. Khemais Ksila
and Nejib Hosni each recently served two years in prison as a price for their human rights activities. Lawyer Radhia Nasraoui's office has been burglarized and case files stolen, in one of many suspicious acts of vandalism against human rights defenders.
Mr. Chairman,
These tragic stories, these examples of danger and difficulties, faced by our colleagues worldwide underscore the urgent need on the part of the international community to address the plight of human rights defenders. Therefore, Human Rights Watch joins other non-governmental organizations in calling on members of the 56th Commission on Human Rights to create a strong mandate for a special rapporteur on human rights defenders.
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