This Sunday’s inauguration of Viktor Yushchenko as president marks an important opportunity to break with past shortcomings in respect for human rights in Ukraine, Human Rights Watch said today in an open letter to the president-elect.
“Yushchenko’s election was a vivid example of the importance of respect for human rights,” said Rachel Denber, acting Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “People in Ukraine were able to choose their leader because the government did not interfere with the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and because ultimately it upheld the rule of law.”
During the dispute over election results in November, Yushchenko himself repeatedly called for respect for basic rights, and his campaign focused on the need for governance reform in Ukraine. Human Rights Watch called on the new president to act decisively on this promise so that Ukraine develops a culture of accountability and strengthens the rule of law. Today’s open letter calls on the future government to address four important human rights issues that affect the everyday lives of millions of people in Ukraine: informal restrictions on media freedoms, torture and ill-treatment, HIV-AIDS discrimination, and sex discrimination in the workplace.
“We hope that President Yushchenko will foster an environment that promotes a truly free media and ends existing restrictions on journalists,” said Denber.
The letter called on Yushchenko to eliminate arbitrary administrative and legal actions against media outlets, and end harassment and violence against journalists. Human Rights Watch also urged the new government to order a full independent and impartial investigation into the murder in 2000 of journalist Georgiy Gongadze.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman receives numerous complaints of torture from criminal suspects, and has estimated that each year 30 percent of all detainees may become victims of torture or ill-treatment by law enforcement agents. Human Rights Watch called for measures that will fully guarantee the rights of persons in pre-trial custody, particularly the right to immediate access to legal counsel. The letter also urged more rigorous enforcement of the legal provision that custody pending trial be considered an exceptional measure, rather than routine practice.
Ukraine has one of the fastest growing HIV/AIDS epidemics in the world, and human rights violations are fueling its growth. “Yushchenko’s government should initiate a plan of action to combat the widespread discrimination against members of high-risk groups that prevents many of them from seeking HIV-prevention services,” said Denber. “It should also take measures to ensure effective anti-retroviral therapy for people with HIV.”
Human Rights Watch has reported on severe and widespread discrimination against women in Ukraine’s workforce, which contributes to many unemployed Ukrainian women becoming victims of trafficking into forced labor abroad, including sex work. The Human Rights Watch letter said the new government has an obligation to stop such discrimination by government-run employment centers and set up mechanisms to remedy private-sector employment discrimination.
