U.N. URGED TO ACT ON CHECHNYA

Rights Group Blasts Record of Commission members

(Geneva, March 14, 2001) The Russian government has utterly failed to

comply with the demands of the United Nations Commission on Human

Rights, which must take action on the ongoing atrocities in Chechnya,

Human Rights Watch said today. The organization made the appeal on the

eve of the Commission's annual six-week meeting, which will start in

Geneva on Monday, March 19.

The group also noted that this year's Commission has an unusually high

number of abusive governments among its 53 members. The 14 new

Commission members this year, elected for staggered three-year terms,

include Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Libya, Saudi

Arabia, Syria and Vietnam.

Human Rights Watch urged the establishment of an international

commission of inquiry to investigate abuses in Chechnya.

"Russian forces continue to commit atrocities in Chechnya," said Reed

Brody, Advocacy Director of Human Rights Watch. "Last year, the

Commission asked Russia to rein in its forces and bring abusers to

justice. In light of Russia's total failure to comply, the Commission

must act."

According to Human Rights Watch, Russian troops regularly engage in

arbitrary arrests, unlawful detentions, torture, summary executions,

disappearances, extortion, violations of medical neutrality, and the

shelling of population centers. Corruption and lack of discipline and

accountability among the troops remain pervasive.

Last year, the Commission called on Russia to conduct an investigation

of abuses by its forces and to allow designated U.N. human rights

investigators and rapporteurs to monitor human rights on the ground. But

there was no follow-up when Russia spurned compliance even with those

minimal demands. "Countries that sponsored the resolution last year have

an obligation to follow through this year," said Brody.

Human Rights Watch also pointed out that U.N. member states are

increasingly electing abusive governments to serve on the Commission,

including governments that refuse visits by Commission monitors. For

instance, Commission envoys on torture and extrajudicial executions have

been trying in vain for several years to visit Algeria, a country that

has never received a Commission rapporteur.

"Having these governments on the Commission is like having foxes

guarding the chicken coop," said Brody. "Governments eager to serve on

the Commission on Human Rights must be willing to live up to the

responsibilities of membership."

Looking at some of the Commission's new members, Human Rights Watch

highlighted that:

- In Algeria, there has been no progress in locating or determining the

fate of some 4,000 documented cases of Algerians who "disappeared" after

being abducted by the security forces since 1992. Government officials

have disclosed little beyond inconsistent statistics that downplay the

scope of the problem and statements that portray the "disappeared" as

persons who for the most part joined or were abducted by armed

opposition groups.

- In the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the government and the

various rebel and armed groups target civilians and are responsible for

egregious abuses, including massacres, rapes and recruitment of child

soldiers. Both the Kinshasa government and the rebels fighting to topple

it stifle civil society, attack independent journalists and arbitrarily

detain and ill-treat dissidents.

- Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi continues to undermine the promised

constitutional reform that is needed to bring greater democratization to

Kenya. This has left in place a deeply flawed political system with

power concentrated in the presidency, insufficient checks on the

executive, and a lack of accountability for government and ruling party

officials.

- In Saudi Arabia, freedom of expression and association are

non-existent. Institutionalized gender discrimination, harsh

restrictions on the exercise of religious freedom, and the use of

corporal punishment also characterize the kingdom's human rights record.

Saudi Arabia has not signed the International Covenant on Civil and

Political Rights, and does not permit local human rights groups or allow

international monitors to visit.

- In Syria, most civil and political rights are strictly limited in law

and practice. There are no effective safeguards against arbitrary arrest

and torture, and no one has been held accountable for hundreds of

"disappearances" and deaths under torture. The Kurdish minority

continues to be denied basic rights, including in tens of thousands of

cases the right to a nationality.

- In Vietnam, the government maintains tight control over freedom of

expression and other basic rights. Authorities continue to take strong

action against those who criticized the Vietnamese Communist Party and

restrict access to areas affected by social unrest.

Human Rights Watch also noted that of the world's five most frequent

users of the death penalty, four (China, DRC, Saudi Arabia, and the

United States) are on the Commission. Only Iran is not.

The group called on the Commission to press for the establishment of an

international observer mission to monitor and report publicly on

continuing abuses in Gaza and the West Bank. The organization said that

such a presence could itself improve security for civilians while

providing the international community with the independent and credible

evidence needed to determine if further protective steps are necessary.

Human Rights Watch noted that China, as a permanent member of the UN

Security Council, should not be exempt from criticism by the Commission

for its poor and deteriorating human rights record.

Human Rights Watch is an international monitoring group based in New

York. It conducts investigations into human rights abuses in more than

seventy countries and publishes its findings in dozens of reports every

year. It accepts no funding from any government.

For more information, please see:

Chechnya: Renewed Catastrophe (HRW Campaign Page, last updated March

2001) at http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/russia/chechnya/

and the UN Commission on Human Rights web page at

http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/2/chr.htm

--

Diederik Lohman,

Director, Moscow Office

Human Rights Watch

Russian Federation, Moscow 125267, A/Ya 2

Tel: 7 095 250 6852

Fax: 7 095 250 6853

dlohman@hrw.ru

Website

English: http://www.hrw.org

Russian: http://www.hrw.org/russian

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