Human Rights Watch called upon the convening states of the Community of
Democracies to bar specific countries from the group’s next conference
unless they make progress toward democracy and human rights in a letter
released today.
"The Community of Democracies should not be so inclusive that it renders its name meaningless," said Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch. "Many countries wish to be called democracies and want to be seen as respecting human rights - but on their own terms. Participation in the Community should be limited to those who genuinely seek to uphold its principles."
Representatives from more than 100 governments attended the first meeting of the Community of Democracies last June in Warsaw, which resulted in a declaration pledging its members to uphold a list of core democratic principles and practices such as free and fair elections, freedom of the press, and respect for basic human rights. The next conference is being convened by Chile, the Czech Republic, India, Mali, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, South Africa and the United States in Seoul in October, 2002.
In an open letter to the Foreign Ministers of the convening countries, Human Rights Watch praised the initiative, whose purpose is to strengthen, deepen and defend democracy. But the group noted that the presence at the Warsaw Conference of countries that jailed and harassed opponents and journalists, held elections deemed fraudulent by the international community, and limited freedom of assembly "threatened to discredit the initiative." Roth urged the convening countries to use the time between now and the Seoul conference to press these countries to live up to their democratic pledges.
