Preface
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2004
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
February 28, 2005
In his second inaugural address, President Bush renewed America’s
commitment to stand for freedom and human dignity throughout the world:
America’s vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From
the day of our founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman
on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because
they bear the image of the maker of heaven and earth. Across the
generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government,
because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a
slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our nation.
It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent
requirement of our nation’s security, and the calling of our time.
So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the
growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and
culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.
The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices provide a key framework
that the United States and others around the world use in assessing
the state of human freedom and in marshalling efforts to advance it.
The conscientious compiling of these reports equips us to more
effectively stand against oppression and for human dignity and liberty.
Our embassies and Washington staff work closely with local citizens,
human rights and other organizations, and community leaders to
identify, investigate, and verify information. These volumes,
available in the languages of most of the world’s peoples, foster
discussion, promote advocacy, permit the measurement of progress, and
show where improvements are needed.
Over the last 12 months, we have worked closely with the international
community to enable citizens in countries such as Guatemala,
Indonesia, Ghana, Ukraine, and Afghanistan to make their votes truly
count in selecting their governments. This fundamental right to
effective suffrage opens the door for advancing a wide range of other
rights, as the records in these countries have already begun to show.
This 28th edition of our Country Reports turns our spotlight on 196
countries, ranging from the stoutest defenders to the worst violators
of human dignity. We take seriously our responsibility to report as
accurately, as sensitively, and as carefully as possible the
information in these reports.
The information contained in this report allows us to construct
strategies for promoting freedom and individual liberty. In the coming
month we will report on the specific steps we have taken over the past
year to support human rights and democracy.
Mindful of the diligent effort and widespread cooperation both within
and outside the Department that has gone into preparing these reports,
I am pleased to transmit the Department of State’s Country Reports on
Human Rights Practices for 2004 to the U.S. Congress.
Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41584.htm
Overview and Acknowledgements
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2004
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
February 28, 2005
Why the Reports Are Prepared
This report is submitted to the Congress by the Department of State in
compliance with Sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance
Act of 1961 (FAA), as amended. The law provides that the Secretary of
State shall transmit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate by February 25 "a
full and complete report regarding the status of internationally
recognized human rights, within the meaning of subsection (A) in
countries that receive assistance under this part, and (B) in all
other foreign countries which are members of the United Nations and
which are not otherwise the subject of a human rights report under
this Act." We have also included reports on several countries that do
not fall into the categories established by these statutes and that
thus are not covered by the congressional requirement.
The responsibility of the United States to speak out on behalf of
international human rights standards was formalized in the early
1970s. In 1976, Congress enacted legislation creating a Coordinator of
Human Rights in the Department of State, a position later upgraded to
Assistant Secretary. In 1994, the Congress created a position of
Senior Advisor for Women's Rights. Congress has also written into law
formal requirements that U.S. foreign and trade policy take into
account countries' human rights and worker rights performance and that
country reports be submitted to the Congress on an annual basis. The
first reports, in 1977, covered only the 82 countries receiving U.S.
aid; this year 196 reports are submitted.
How the Reports Are Prepared
In August 1993, the Secretary of State moved to strengthen further the
human rights efforts of our embassies. All sections in each embassy
were asked to contribute information and to corroborate reports of
human rights violations, and new efforts were made to link mission
programming to the advancement of human rights and democracy. In 1994,
the Bureau of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs was reorganized
and renamed as the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor,
reflecting both a broader sweep and a more focused approach to the
interlocking issues of human rights, worker rights and democracy. The
2004 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices reflect a year of
dedicated effort by hundreds of State Department, Foreign Service, and
other U.S. Government employees.
Our embassies, which prepared the initial drafts of the reports,
gathered information throughout the year from a variety of sources
across the political spectrum, including government officials, jurists,
armed forces sources, journalists, human rights monitors, academics,
and labor activists. This information-gathering can be hazardous, and
U.S. Foreign Service Officers regularly go to great lengths, under
trying and sometimes dangerous conditions, to investigate reports of
human rights abuse, monitor elections, and come to the aid of
individuals at risk, such as political dissidents and human rights
defenders whose rights are threatened by their governments.
After the embassies completed their drafts, the texts were sent to
Washington for careful review by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights
and Labor, in cooperation with other State Department offices. As they
worked to corroborate, analyze, and edit the reports, the Department
officers drew on their own sources of information. These included
reports provided by U.S. and other human rights groups, foreign
government officials, representatives from the United Nations and
other international and regional organizations and institutions,
experts from academia, and the media. Officers also consulted with
experts on worker rights issues, refugee issues, military and police
topics, women's issues, and legal matters. The guiding principle was
to ensure that all relevant information was assessed as objectively,
thoroughly and fairly as possible.
The reports in this volume will be used as a resource for shaping
policy, conducting diplomacy, and making assistance, training, and
other resource allocations. They also will serve as a basis for the
U.S. Government's cooperation with private groups to promote the
observance of internationally recognized human rights.
The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices cover internationally
recognized individual, civil, political and worker rights, as set
forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These rights
include freedom from torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment, from prolonged detention without charges,
from disappearance or clandestine detention, and from other flagrant
violations of the right to life, liberty and the security of the
person.
Universal human rights seek to incorporate respect for human dignity
into the processes of government and law. All persons have the
inalienable right to change their government by peaceful means and to
enjoy basic freedoms, such as freedom of expression, association,
assembly, movement and religion, without discrimination on the basis
of race, religion, national origin, or sex. The right to join a free
trade union is a necessary condition of a free society and economy.
Thus the reports assess key internationally recognized worker rights,
including the right of association, the right to organize and bargain
collectively, prohibition of forced or compulsory labor, the status of
child labor practices, and the minimum age for employment of children,
and acceptable work conditions.
Within the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, the editorial
staff of the Country Reports Team consists of: Editor–in-Chief – Nadia
Tongour; Deputy Editor-in-Chief - LeRoy G. Potts; Senior Advisors -
Elizabeth Dugan, and Gretchen Birkle; Senior Editors – Cortney Dell,
Dan Dolan, Stephen Eisenbraun, Leonel Miranda, Jennifer M. Pekkinen
and Stan Ifshin; Editors – Joseph S. Barghout, Jonathan Bemis, Ryan J.
Casteel, Sharon C. Cooke, Stuart Crampton, Frank B. Crump, Mollie
Davis, Sajit Gandhi, Joan Garner, Solange Garvey, Jerome L. Hoganson,
Victor Huser, Kari Johnstone, David T. Jones, Sandra J. Murphy, Daniel
L. Nadel, Donald E. Parker, Gary V. Price, Elizabeth Ramborger, Peter
Sawchyn, and Julie Turner; Assistant Editors – Lori Rothamel, Janet
Mayland; Editorial Assistants – Gene Bigler, Kent Brokenshire, Sally
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41585.htm
Introduction
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2004
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
February 28, 2005
On September 17, 2002, President Bush presented a new National
Security Strategy for the United States based on the principle that
promoting political and economic freedom and respect for human dignity
will build a safer and better world. To guide and focus the national
effort that had grown out of the war on terrorism, the strategy
outlined a series of fundamental tasks which, among others, required
our Government to champion aspirations for human rights and build
democracy. In his second inaugural address on January 20, 2005,
President Bush elaborated on that principle: "The survival of liberty
in our land depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best
hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the
world."
The United States and its international partners worked with many
countries during 2004 to expand freedom by helping to protect the
political rights of their citizens and to advance the rule of law in
their societies. In a few cases, where concerns centered on the rights
of the people to choose their own governments, dramatic developments
focused global attention on their struggles and landmark achievements.
In the past three years since the removal of the Taliban regime, the
people of Afghanistan have worked to diminish terrorism and improve
security; to bridge traditional ethnic, religious, and tribal divides;
to craft a new constitution faithful to their values and way of life;
to extend fundamental rights to women and minorities; and to open
their society to unprecedented political competition and freedom of
expression. The international community responded to this undertaking
by helping to register voters across a geographically scattered,
largely illiterate population; by educating cadres of Afghan election
workers and political participants in the conduct of elections and
campaigns and by joining with Afghan forces to provide security during
pre-election preparations and during the actual voting. In the
presidential election, which took place in October, 18 candidates vied
for the votes of the 10 million registered Afghans, more than 40
percent of whom were women. Despite threats and attacks before the
vote and serious technical challenges, more than 8 million Afghans--including
more than 3.2 million women--cast ballots to chose their leader in a
truly democratic election for the first time, with a majority
selecting President Hamid Karzai.
In Ukraine, the presidential election campaign was marred by
government pressure on opposition candidates and by widespread
violations and fraud during the voting. The Kuchma government engaged
in fraud and manipulation during the presidential election in both the
first and second round of voting on October 31 and November 21. The
Government censored media outlets and journalists to influence news
coverage, which sparked the so-called "journalist rebellion" among
reporters who refused to follow government directives. Eventually,
popular demonstrations against the official results of the flawed
November 21 vote gradually swelled into an "Orange Revolution," the
campaign color associated with opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko,
who was widely believed to have won the election.
Respect for human rights in Ukraine took a decided turn for the better
when, on December 3, the country’s Supreme Court invalidated the
runoff election as fraudulent, vindicating the observations of many
domestic and international monitors about numerous violations of
electoral procedures, harassment of opposition candidates, heavily
biased coverage in government-controlled media, and widespread voting
and counting fraud. In the court-mandated repeat election on December
26, the people of Ukraine selected their new President. International
observers of that vote, won by Yushchenko, noted the improvements in
media coverage, increase in transparency of the voting process,
decrease in government pressure to support a particular candidate, and
fewer disruptions at the polls. The new President expressed a strong
commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and observance of human
rights.
In Iraq, people faced a series of difficult tasks as they prepared to
choose their own leader through democratic elections, while the
severity and ubiquity of terrorist attacks expanded the dimensions of
the challenges. First, the Iraqi Governing Council achieved consensus
on a framework for the transition of sovereignty back to Iraqi
authorities under the aegis of the rule of law and clearly defined
procedures by which Iraq’s citizens would be able to choose their own
authorities and construct their own constitutional order. In March,
the approval of the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) achieved
these objectives and paved the way for the second step, the transition
of sovereignty from the Coalition Provisional Authority to the Iraqi
Interim Government (IIG) on June 28.
Working with the assistance of the United Nations and other
international advisors, the IIG established the Independent Electoral
Commission of Iraq, an independent election authority that established
procedures for registration of and voting by Iraqis and expatriates in
14 other countries. On August 15 - 18, the National Conference
convened and elected a 100-member Interim National Council. Elections
for the Transitional National Assembly, the country's legislative
authority and the first step in the formation of an Iraqi Transitional
Government, were scheduled to take place on January 30, 2005.
According to the TAL, the transitional government will draft a
permanent constitution that is to be ratified by August 2005, and new
elections are to be held for a permanent government under that
Constitution by December 2005.
We believe events like these elections will increase the prospects for
peace, provide a solid grounding for self-government in these
countries and help create momentum for the improvement of human rights
practices for all people participating in them. Yet progress along
this path will not be easy or rapid, at least at first, as the 196
detailed reports in this volume amply demonstrate. In a number of
cases, these reports will show that human rights practices may
actually have eroded despite the successful completion of
internationally accepted elections, as has occurred in some respects
with the judiciary and the media since the voting that took place last
year in Venezuela.
It was in part the recognition of the complexity and difficulty of the
task of promoting human rights that led Congress in 1977 to
institutionalize the Department of State’s process of compiling these
annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. By providing this
compendium of witness to the global human rights experience, we hope
that the record of this work in progress will help illuminate both
future tasks and the potential for greater cooperation in advancing
the aspirations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Year in Review: Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
Behind the detail of 196 country reports contained in the pages that
follow, the developments and experiences in certain countries stand
out due not only to the intensity of the human rights problems but
also to our involvement with the victims and their governments during
2004.
The Government of Sudan’s human rights record remained extremely poor
as it continued to restrict freedom of speech, press, assembly,
association, religion and movement. It arrested and harassed those who
exercised these rights.
At year's end, there were more than 1.5 million Internally Displaced
Person (IDPs) in the Sudanese Province of Darfur, and another 200,000
civilians had fled into Chad, where the U.N. High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) coordinated a massive refugee relief effort.
Approximately 70,000 people reportedly died as a result of the
violence and forced displacement.
Despite the Government's repeated commitments to refrain from further
violence in Darfur, the atrocities continued. Government and
government-supported militias known as the Jinjaweed routinely
attacked civilian villages. Typically, the Jinjaweed, often in concert
with regular government forces, conducted attacks under cover of
military aerial support. In September, after carefully reviewing a
detailed study conducted by independent experts covering the
experience of more than 1,100 refugees, Secretary of State Colin
Powell concluded that genocide had been committed against the people
of Darfur, saying that "Genocide has been committed in Darfur and that
the Government of Sudan and Jinjaweed bear responsibility and that
genocide may still be occurring."
Government forces in that region routinely killed, injured, and
displaced civilians, and destroyed clinics and dwellings intentionally
during offensive operations. There were confirmed reports that
government-supported militia also intentionally attacked civilians,
looted their possessions, and destroyed their villages.
At the same time, year-end developments in negotiations related to the
North-South conflict provided hope for peace and improvement of human
rights practices in other areas of Sudan. By year's end, the State
Department saw significant movement on the preliminary accords between
the Government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement Army after
21 years of low intensity conflict.
In response to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (North
Korea) continued brutal and repressive treatment of its people, the
United States Congress enacted the North Korea Human Rights Act of
2004. The Act seeks to address the serious human rights situation in
North Korea and to promote durable solutions for North Korean refugees,
transparency in provision of humanitarian assistance, a free flow of
information, and a peaceful reunification on the Korean peninsula.
In Belarus, police abuse and occasional torture of prisoners and
detainees continued. The security forces arbitrarily arrested and
detained citizens for political reasons; in addition, individuals were
sued and sentenced to jail terms for such political crimes as "defamation"
of state officials, often interpreted to include criticism of their
policies. The Government of Belarus persisted in discounting credible
reports regarding the role of government officials in the long-term
disappearances of a journalist and well-known opposition political
figures and failed to conduct full, transparent investigations into
these disappearances. Instead, the Government appointed Viktor Sheiman,
linked to disappearances by credible evidence in a Council of Europe
report, as Head of the Presidential Administration, thus perpetuating
a climate of abuse with impunity.
In Burma, the Junta ruled by decree and was not bound by any
constitutional provisions providing any fundamental rights. Security
forces carried out extrajudicial killings. In addition, disappearances
continued, and security forces raped, tortured, beat, and otherwise
abused prisoners and detainees. Arbitrary arrests and incommunicado
detention were frequent. Security forces also regularly infringed on
citizens' privacy, forcibly relocated populations, and conscripted
child soldiers.
The Government of Iran was responsible for numerous killings during
the year, including executions following trials that lacked due
process. There were numerous reports that security forces tortured
prisoners and detainees. Additionally, there were arbitrary arrests,
extended incommunicado detention, poor and overcrowded prisons, lack
of access to counsel, punishment by the lash, and violation of
personal privacy.
China’s cooperation and progress on human rights during 2004 was
disappointing. China failed to fulfill many of the commitments it made
at the 2002 U.S.-China Human Rights Dialogue. However, at the end of
the year, working level discussions on human rights, which had been
suspended when the U.S. supported a resolution on China’s human rights
practices at the U.N. Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), were resumed.
During 2004, the government continued to arrest and detain activists,
such as individuals discussing freely on the Internet, defense lawyers
advocating on behalf of dissidents and the dispossessed, activists
arguing for HIV/AIDs issues, journalists reporting on SARS,
intellectuals expressing political views, persons attending house
churches, and workers protesting for their rights. Abuses continued in
Chinese prisons. The Government continued its crackdown against the
Falun Gong spiritual movement, and tens of thousands of practitioners
remained incarcerated in prisons, extrajudicial reeducation-through-labor
camps, and psychiatric facilities. The National People’s Congress
amended the Constitution to include protection of human rights, yet it
is unclear to what extent the Government plans to implement this
amendment.
In Saudi Arabia, there were positive developments in a few areas,
including a government-sponsored conference on women’s rights and
obligations and the formation of the first formal human rights
organization permitted in the Kingdom. In October, the Government
issued an executive by-law entitling some long-term residents to apply
for citizenship, and by year's end, voter and candidate registration,
albeit only for men, was well advanced for municipal elections
scheduled for February 2005.
The record of human rights abuses and violations for Saudi Arabia,
however, still far exceeds the advances. There were credible reports
of torture and abuse of prisoners by security forces, arbitrary
arrests, and incommunicado detentions. The religious police continued
to intimidate, abuse, and detain citizens and foreigners. Most trials
were closed, and defendants usually appeared before judges without
legal counsel. Security forces arrested and detained reformers. The
Government continued to restrict freedoms of speech and press,
assembly, association and movement, and there were reports that the
Government infringed on individuals’ privacy rights. Violence and
discrimination against women, violence against children,
discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities, and strict
limitations on worker rights continued.
In contrast to developments in a number of countries that increased
direct citizen control over government authorities, in Russia changes
in parliamentary election laws and a shift to the appointment, instead
of election, of regional governors further strengthened the power of
the executive branch. Greater restrictions on the media, a compliant
Duma (Parliament), shortcomings in recent national elections, law
enforcement corruption, and political pressure on the judiciary also
raised concerns about the erosion of government accountability.
Racially motivated violence and discrimination increased, despite
considerable legislative prohibitions. Authorities failed to
investigate actions against minorities while subjecting them to more
frequent document checks, targeting them for deportation from urban
centers, and fining them in excess of permissible penalties or
detaining them more frequently. Government institutions intended to
protect human rights were relatively weak.
The Government of Zimbabwe has conducted a concerted campaign of
violence, repression, and intimidation. This campaign has been marked
by disregard for human rights, the rule of law, and the welfare of
Zimbabwe's citizens. Torture by various methods is used against
political opponents and human rights advocates. War veterans, youth
brigades, and police officers act with sustained brutality against
political enemies. The Mugabe regime has also targeted other
institutions of government, including the judiciary and police. Judges
have been harassed into submission or resignation, replaced by
Mugabe’s cronies. The news media have been restricted and suppressed,
with offending journalists arrested and beaten. Land seizures continue
to be used as a tool for political and social oppression, and
opponents of these destructive policies are subject to violent
reprisals.
Respect for human rights remained poor in Venezuela during 2004,
despite the Government victory in an August referendum to recall
President Chavez. Opponents charged that the process was fraudulent,
but Organization of American States (OAS) and Carter Center observers
found that the official results "reflected the will of the electorate."
Throughout the year, the Government increased its control over the
judicial system and its interference in the administration of justice.
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) were subject to threats and
intimidation by government supporters. In December, the legislature
passed laws that erode freedom of the media, freedom of speech, and
which in effect make criticism of the government a criminal offense.
The U.S. Government sanctioned the Venezuelan Government for
continuing to fall short in efforts to combat trafficking in persons.
Fidel Castro added another year to his record as the longest serving
dictator in the world. The Government retained its stance of rejection
of all democratic processes and continued its harassment and
intimidation of pro-democracy activists, dissidents, journalists and
other professionals and workers seeking to undertake economic
activities not controlled by the state. The majority of the 75
dissidents sentenced to long jail terms in 2003 remained incarcerated
despite international protests, and the authorities arrested 22
additional human rights activists and sentenced them for acts such as
"contempt for authority." Addressing abuses in Cuba continued to be a
priority for the United States as a member of the UNCHR.
During its 2004 session, the UNCHR formally adopted a U.S.-sponsored
resolution on Cuba, as well as resolutions on Turkmenistan, North
Korea and Belarus for the second year in a row. A resolution on Burma
was approved by consensus. With such member countries as Zimbabwe,
Cuba, Sudan, and China, which fail to protect their own citizens’
rights, the 2004 session of the UNCHR fell short in several respects.
The Commission failed to adopt resolutions on the human rights
situations in China, Zimbabwe and Chechnya. The United States
continued to emphasize the need to improve the functioning of the
Commission, especially by supporting the inclusion of more countries
with positive human rights records.
The United States believes that democratically elected governments are
more likely to respect their citizens’ human rights. For this reason,
the United States collaborated with other participating countries of
the Community of Democracies (CD), a network of democratic countries
working together to promote, solidify, and advance democracy
throughout the world. In 2004, the U.S. joined other CD countries to
help launch the formation of a democracy caucus, a group of like-minded
countries that coordinates more closely in the UNCHR and other UN
settings to advance goals consistent with democratic values. At the
UNCHR, the United States – jointly with Peru, Romania and East Timor –
introduced and succeeded in having adopted a resolution to enhance the
UN’s role in promoting democracy. Among the resolution’s
recommendations is a call for the establishment of a mechanism – a
"Focal Point" – within the Office of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights, dedicated to helping new and emerging democracies access UN
resources available to support them.
In addition to its support for the creation of the UN democracy caucus,
the CD sought to support the development of democratic institutions
and values through projects linking democratic countries. It sent a
multinational delegation of democracy practitioners to East Timor to
share best practices with Timorese officials. Likewise, a group of
Iraqi, election-related officials traveled from Iraq to Lithuania to
observe and learn about election processes. Unifying democratic voices
against violations of basic human rights--rights that have been
codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that that
were reaffirmed in the CD's Warsaw Declaration and Seoul Plan of
Action--is an essential way to maintain pressure on governments that
deny and violate the rights of their own citizens.
Institutional changes:
In Qatar, the process of constitutional change continued with the
Emir's approval of the draft of a new constitution that voters
overwhelmingly had approved in 2003. Although the Emir’s family will
maintain hereditary rule, the new constitution, expected to be enacted
in June 2005, contains a number of human rights provisions.
In Pakistan, President Musharraf continued as Chief of the Army Staff,
despite his promise to step down by year's end.
In Africa, the Central African Republic (CAR) enacted a new
constitution and took a number of other steps to further an announced
transition to democracy under President Bozize, who seized power in a
March 2003 coup. In Guinea-Bissau, following a military coup in
September 2003, the military installed a civilian government. In both
cases, the stabilization of post-coup situations has been accompanied
by a decline in the number of reported violations of human rights.
Turkey’s desire to meet the EU Copenhagen Criteria to begin the
accession process moved the Government to pass an important package of
reforms, including a new, relatively more liberal penal code and a set
of constitutional amendments to combat honor killings and torture;
expand the freedom of religion, expression, and association; and
reduce the role of the military in government. However, implementation
of these reforms lagged. Security forces continued to commit numerous
abuses, including torture, beatings, and arbitrary arrest and
detention, although observers noted a decrease in such practices and
the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture reported that
local authorities were making efforts to comply with the Government's
"zero tolerance" policy on torture. Honor killings continued. The
Government relaxed some restrictions on the use of Kurdish and other
languages, but restrictions on free speech and the press remained.
The year witnessed increasing efforts by some governments to fight
corruption. Costa Rica was the most ambitious in actually
investigating former high-level officials, as it launched separate
investigations for misuse of funds, kickbacks, and illegal contracts
by three former presidents. In Africa, anti-corruption campaigns
focused on pecuniary as well as human rights abuses by officials.
Gambian President Jammeh’s campaign centered on curbing official
corruption to restore international credibility, and the work of the
Commission of Inquiry led to the dismissal of a number of top
officials and some prosecutions for economic crimes. Kenya created an
anti-corruption czar, and the Government opened a number of
investigations into allegations of extrajudicial killings. In Zambia,
a Police Complaints Authority instituted in 2003 to combat police
misconduct continued investigations into complaints.
Political rights:
Regrettably, with the exception of Georgia and Ukraine, political
developments in Eurasia remain a serious concern. Progress continues
to be measured largely in terms of civil society development. More and
more NGOs, opposition parties, and citizens are willing to organize
and advocate for government accountability. In Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan, opposition parties are unable to register. At the same
time, governments of the regions are drawing the wrong lessons from
Ukraine and Georgia and attempt to stifle civil society by harassing
democracy NGOs through bureaucratic obstacles and specious legal means.
In Georgia, the progress that international observers noted in last
January’s presidential election set the stage for "the most democratic
elections in Georgia’s history" in parliamentary voting in March.
Other governments in the region have made some limited progress in
improving electoral processes by drafting new election codes. New
election laws introduced in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are
an improvement in some areas, but in all three countries, the laws
continue to fall short of international standards. Likewise, elections
in 2004 in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan marked limited improvements over
previous ones, but domestic and international observers raised
questions about voting irregularities, abuse or harassment of
opposition candidates, or limitations on equal access to the media.
In Belarus, the Government continued to deny citizens the right to
change their government through a democratic political process. A
seriously flawed referendum on October 17 removed constitutional term
limits on the presidency. In advance of the referendum and the equally
flawed parliamentary elections held simultaneously, the Government
suspended independent newspapers and disqualified many parliamentary
candidates. The Government used excessive force and in some cases beat
and arrested political leaders who peacefully protested electoral
fraud and the journalists covering the protests. During the year, the
Government also shut down a number of major registered NGOs that
focused on political rights, and state security authorities
increasingly harassed those that remained.
In October, Bosnia and Herzegovina held its first self-administered
municipal elections since the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords. The
elections were judged to meet international democratic standards.
A notably high voter turnout in a series of three elections in
Indonesia paved the way for the transition in political power there
from a defeated incumbent to an elected opposition leader. The process
also marked the defeat of military and police candidates who stood for
seats in Parliament.
In noteworthy elections in Africa, the incumbent political parties of
Ghana and Mozambique gained re-election in processes that were judged
generally free and fair. Sierra Leone held its first local government
elections in 32 years, although there were irregularities in some
areas.
In Burundi, concern focused on the delay in holding elections and the
progress of the country’s transition to democracy. The Transitional
Government failed to hold the local and national elections that are
stipulated by the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, and at
the end of the year it also delayed indefinitely a referendum on a
draft constitution. The Maoist insurgency and the deadlock among
Nepal’s political parties also prevented the holding of elections
there during the year and helped deepen the country’s political
crisis.
In Rwanda, greatly circumscribed political rights were further limited
when leading human rights organizations were either shut down or
effectively dismantled. The action was justified as part of a campaign
against "divisionism," according to a government report that accused
human rights groups, journalists, teachers, and churches of promoting
an "ideology of genocide."
The Iranian Government’s respect for the freedom and political
participation of its citizens continued to deteriorate. Elections that
were widely perceived as neither free nor fair were held for the 290-seat
Majlis (Parliament) in February. The conservative, cleric-dominated
Guardian Council excluded virtually all reformist candidates,
including 85 incumbent members of parliament. Reasons cited included
not showing "demonstrated obedience" to the current system of
government. As a result of the seriously-flawed elections, reformers
were reduced to a small minority of the parliament. Meanwhile, the
conservative backlash against reformist trends and parties continues.
Internal and other conflicts:
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Sierra Leone completed
public hearings in which approximately 10,000 citizens participated to
air grievances as victims or provide confessions from the civil war.
The Commission suggested legal, political and administrative reforms
to the Government. The Government also released numerous children who
had fought as child soldiers. By year’s end, the UN Mission to Sierra
Leone (UNAMSIL) had handed over responsibility countrywide to the
Sierra Leone Armed Forces and the Sierra Leone Police, as UNAMSIL
began preparations to withdraw by June 2005 as stipulated by its
Security Council mandate.
After being elected in a runoff at the end of 2003, Guatemalan
President Oscar Berger "re-launched" the 1996 Peace Accords as a
national agenda and symbolically apologized to citizens on behalf of
the State for human rights violations committed during that country’s
protracted civil war. The Government also reduced the size of the
military, eliminated some major commands and units and reduced the
military budget. In August, the military made public a new doctrine,
which includes provisions on the importance of protecting human rights.
As a result of negotiations throughout the year, the Government of
Colombia demobilized approximately 3,000 fighters from the
paramilitary United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) in November
and December. In addition, hundreds of municipal officials returned to
their towns after the government established a permanent police
presence in every urban center in the country. As a result, rates for
homicides, kidnappings, and other violent crimes decreased.
In Haiti, domestic conflict continued throughout the year. The
political impasse, combined with increasing violence between pro- and
anti-Aristide factions, culminated on February 29, when President
Aristide submitted his resignation and left the country. Despite the
presence of UN peacekeeping forces, the constitutionally-established
Interim Government remained weak. In September, pro-Aristide partisans
in Port-au-Prince launched a campaign of destabilization and violence
known as "Operation Baghdad." This campaign included kidnapping,
decapitation and burning of police officers and civilians,
indiscriminate shootings, and the destruction and incineration of
public and private property. The violence prevented the normal
functioning of schools, public markets, the seaport, and the justice
system in Port-au-Prince for several weeks.
A series of conflicts continued to trouble South Asia. In Jammu and
Kashmir and the northeastern states of India, violence continued, and
security forces committed abuses with impunity, killing civilians and
not just armed combatants. In Sri Lanka, both the Government and the
terrorist organization, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, violated the
ceasefire. In Nepal, the disappearance of persons in custody remained
a very serious problem, and government security forces continued to
have broad authority to arrest and detain individuals suspected of
sympathizing with the Maoist insurgents. Security forces also used
arbitrary and unlawful lethal force. As the Maoist insurgency
continued, rebel militants tortured civilians, while government agents
forcibly conscripted children as soldiers and conducted bombings that
killed civilians.
The Great Lakes region of central Africa, which encompasses the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda,
has been plagued by civil war, large-scale interethnic violence, and
massive human rights abuses associated with them for well over a
decade due to the continuing presence of armed groups and militia that
move between the countries. These groups compete with one another for
strategic and natural resources and inhabit an environment of shifting
alliances. Among the most worrisome groups in the eastern Congo are
those who took sanctuary in the region after the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
This same group continues to oppose the Government of Rwanda and
launch cross-border campaigns, as well as attack civilians in the DRC
and commit numerous other abuses. There are also armed groups in the
region who oppose the governments and peace process in Uganda and
Burundi.
While prospects for peace in the Great Lakes region are promising,
human rights abuses are almost routine. Children are the primary
victims and are forcefully recruited, abducted, and turned into
soldiers, although some of the governments have made progress in
demobilizing child soldiers in their ranks. Some militia groups are
predominantly comprised of children. Women and girls are particularly
vulnerable, as rape increasingly is used as a weapon of war. The
region is a home to approximately five million of the world's 25
million internally displaced persons and hosts a number of refugees.
The United States is actively pursuing talks between the DRC, Uganda
and Rwanda. We continue to monitor the situation in all the countries
in the region by focusing attention on the threat posed by armed
groups.
In Cote d’Ivoire, an attack on the rebel positions and an air strike
on French peacekeeping troops in November broke the tenuous 18-month
ceasefire between the Government and rebels. Despite the embargo and
threat of sanctions, the Government has threatened to pursue a
military solution to the conflict. President Bush determined that Cote
d’Ivoire, once one of the United States’ largest trading partners in
the region through the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), was
ineligible for AGOA this year due to concerns about the security
situation and the general decline in the rule of law that make it a
hostile place for foreign investment.
In Russia, the September attack on a school in Beslan in North Osettia
and the ongoing disappearances of civilians detained by security
forces underscored the extent to which both sides in the expanding
conflict in the North Caucasus continue to demonstrate little respect
for basic human rights. There were credible reports of serious
violations, including politically motivated disappearances and
unlawful killings, by both the government and Chechen rebels.
Individuals seeking accountability for these abuses also continued to
be targeted, and Chechen rebels continued to attack Russian civilians,
including a bombing of a Moscow subway.
Integrity of the person:
After years of controversy, the Chilean Supreme Court upheld an
appeals court decision to lift the judicial immunity of former
President Augusto Pinochet. On December 13, a prosecuting judge
indicted Pinochet for crimes committed as part of "Operation Condor"
during the 1970s.
In Central African Republic as the process of transition to civilian
rule continued, the government disbanded the Security Investigation
Division, a military intelligence unit that was accused of committing
numerous human rights abuses, including torture, rape and extortion,
during 2003. In December 2003, President Bozize reconvened the
permanent military tribunal after an eight-year suspension. The
tribunal considered cases on a variety of alleged human rights abuses
including extrajudicial killings, rape and armed robbery.
North Korea remains one of the world’s most repressive and brutal
regimes. An estimated 150,000-200,000 persons are believed to be
political prisoners in detention camps in remote areas, and defectors
report that many prisoners have died from torture, starvation, disease,
exposure, or a combination of causes. The regime also subjects
citizens to rigid controls over many aspects of their lives.
In Egypt, the 1981 Emergency Law, extended in February 2003 for an
additional 3 years, restricted many basic rights. The security forces
continued to mistreat and torture prisoners, which resulted in at
least 10 reported deaths in custody at police stations or prisons
during the year. Arbitrary arrest and detention and prolonged pretrial
detention remained serious problems. Dismal prison conditions
persisted.
Widespread use of torture by the Government of Syria resulted in at
least 8 deaths during the year. Arbitrary arrest and detention,
prolonged pre-trial detention without trial, fundamentally unfair
trials in the security courts, and deteriorating prison conditions all
persisted. Throughout the year, the security services conducted mass
arrests of Kurds in Hassakeh province, Aleppo, Damascus, and other
areas. On March 12, security forces in Qamishli, in the northeastern
Hassakeh province, opened fire on a crowd at a soccer match after
clashes between Arab and Kurdish fans erupted. In the days of rioting
that followed, dozens were killed, as many as 2,000 Kurds were
detained, and nearly 300 Kurds remained in custody and were awaiting
trial before the State Security Court and Military Court at year’s end.
The Government also continued to withhold information on the welfare
and whereabouts of persons who have been held incommunicado for years.
In Uzbekistan, torture was routine in prisons, pretrial facilities,
and local police and security service precincts, and members of the
security forces responsible for documented abuses were rarely punished.
However, the government took some notable steps to address torture and
establish police accountability. It created preliminary procedures
within some divisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for
investigating and disciplining officers for human rights abuses and
allowed NGO access to its prisons and to train prison guards in human
rights practices. The Government also cooperated with international
forensic experts to take part in investigations of deaths in custody
in which torture had been alleged.
Freedom of the press:
A conservative backlash to democratic demands in Iran extended into a
number of areas beyond explicit questions of political rights. For
example, the investigation into the 2003 death of a Canadian/Iranian
photographer who suffered a brain hemorrhage after sustaining injuries
while in an Iranian prison stagnated during 2004. The Government also
gradually suppressed all independent domestic media outlets and
arrested or intimidated their journalists into silence. In 2004 the
last forum for free debate, weblogs, came under pressure when the
government began arresting their creators and forcing them to sign
false confessions.
The increase in government pressure and control of media in Russia
continued to weaken freedom of expression and independence of the
media there, as a trend of increasing control and harassment of the
press was noted in a number of Eurasian countries, especially Belarus
and some countries in Central Asia. The Russian approach centered on
use of controlling ownership of broadcast media to limit access to
information on sensitive issues, such as Chechnya. Government pressure
also increased self-censorship of journalists.
In Togo, after the Government undertook formal political consultations
with the European Union, it adopted a new press code with mixed
results. It eliminated prison sentences for most journalistic offenses,
but maintained them for inciting certain actions, such as ethnic
hatred or violation of the law, as well as for publishing under a
false name. The law also sets standards of professionalism for
journalists and requires independent newspapers to ensure that at
least one third of their staff meet the Government’s standards.
While Algeria experienced its first contested democratic election in
2004, leading to the reelection of President Bouteflika, the
Government acted to increase restrictions on the media. The use of
defamation laws and government harassment of the press significantly
increased, leading to the imprisonment of several journalists for
terms from two to 24 months, closure or suspension of two newspapers,
and more self-censorship by the press.
In Venezuela, international organizations and domestic journalists
charged the government with encouraging a climate of hostility toward
the media. Administrative acts, combined with a new law passed in
December, created a climate of hostility toward the independent media
with increasing threats of prosecution.
Freedom of religion:
These issues are discussed in depth in the Annual Report on
International Religious Freedom, released in September 2004, while
these Country Reports further highlight and update important
developments.
The International Religious Freedom Act requires that those countries
that engage in particularly severe violations of religious freedom be
designated as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC). In September
2004, the Secretary of State re-designated Burma, China, Iran, North
Korea, and Sudan as CPCs, and designated for the first time Eritrea,
Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam.
With the cessation of government-sponsored violations of religious
freedom under Saddam Hussein, the Secretary acted to remove Iraq’s CPC
designation in June 2004. Since the liberation of Iraq by coalition
forces, there have been no governmental impediments to religious
freedom, and the Iraqi Transitional Administrative Law provides for "freedom
of thought, conscience, and religious belief and practice."
The Government of Saudi Arabia's actions in the area of religious
freedom were disappointing. Throughout 2004, senior U.S. officials
engaged Saudi authorities in an intense discussion of religious
practices, and in September, the Secretary of State designated Saudi
Arabia as a "Country of Particular Concern" under the International
Religious Freedom Act for particularly severe violations of religious
freedom. The Government rigidly mandates religious conformity. Non-Wahabi
Sunni Muslims, as well as Shia and Sufi Muslims, face discrimination
and sometimes severe restrictions on the practice of their faith. A
number of leaders from these traditions have been arrested and
imprisoned. The government prohibits public non-Muslim religious
activities. Non-Muslim worshippers risk arrest, imprisonment, torture,
or deportation for engaging in religious activities that attract
official attention. There were frequent instances in which mosque
preachers, whose salaries are paid by the government, used violent
language against non-Sunni Muslims and other religions in their
sermons.
Vietnam continued to restrict freedom of religion and the operation of
religious organizations other than those approved by the State. The
Government failed to issue a nationwide decree banning forced
renunciations of faith, did not end the physical abuse of religious
believers, continued to hold a significant number of religious
prisoners, and although it permitted the re-opening of some churches
closed in the Central Highlands in 2001, it refused to allow the re-opening
and registration of hundreds of others. However, following CPC
designation, some improvements in religious freedom were evident. Some
religious leaders expressed cautious optimism about a new Ordinance on
Religion that the Government released in November, and in December,
the Evangelical Church of Vietnam North (ECVN) held its first National
Congress in 20 years and named a new, independent leadership board.
Among the gains in freedom of religion covered by the Country Reports,
the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Armenia succeeded in October to register
with the government after they had experienced a string of rejected
applications. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a new state-level law on
religious freedom passed both houses of the legislature. The law
provides comprehensive rights to religious communities and confers a
legal status upon them they had not held previously. And in Georgia,
there were fewer reports of violence against minority religious groups
this year.
Treatment of minorities, women and children:
On December 30, the Department of State completed its Report on Global
Anti-Semitism, July 1, 2003-December 15, 2004. Drawing extensively on
material from our embassies, NGOs and accounts submitted for these
Country Reports, this separate compendium was prepared in accordance
with a separate legislative provision.
In the Czech and Slovak Republics, discrimination against Roma
persisted, although both governments made efforts to improve the
situation through such measures as revising legal norms and recruiting
Roma to serve as community liaisons with the police forces or as
health assistants.
In Croatia, the restitution of property to mostly Serb refugees has
improved significantly, although local obstruction to the return of
minority groups remained a problem. In Kosovo, acts of violence
against the minority Kosovo Serb population and other non-Serb
minorities took place during a series of riots over two days in March,
demonstrating the continued tenuousness of minority rights there.
In Thailand, the government’s human rights record was marred by abuses
committed by security forces against Muslim dissidents in the southern
part of the country. On April 28, elements of the police and military
killed more than 100 persons while repelling attacks by Muslim
separatists in Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat provinces. On October 25,
78 Muslim detainees being transported to an army camp died from
asphyxiation after police and military forces stacked them into
overcrowded truck beds.
In Afghanistan and Iraq, women made unprecedented strides in
exercising political rights by voting, holding public office and
standing for election as candidates. In education and other areas as
well, women made increasing strides in achieving basic rights. In
Pakistan, special women’s police stations with all female staff have
been established in response to complaints of custodial abuse of women.
Additionally, while honor killings continued in Pakistan, new
legislation stiffened penalties for honor killings and criminal
proceedings for the blasphemy laws and Hudood ordinances were changed
to reduce abuses.
In a number of countries, one of the most significant problems related
to the abuse of women and children is the failure of the state to
combat vigorously against conditions that engender the trafficking of
women and children.
In Burma, women and girls from villages were trafficked for
prostitution at truck stops, fishing villages, border towns, and
mining and military camps. Burmese men, women and children are also
trafficked to other countries. Government economic mismanagement and
forced labor policies worsen the situation.
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), women and girls are used as
prostitutes and domestic servants, and young boys are exploited as
camel jockeys. A recent documentary on camel jockeys notes the very
young age at which abuse often begins, the harsh conditions that may
lead to serious injuries or death, and the malnutrition, and physical
and sexual abuse by employers. The Government has pledged and taken
some measures of limited effectiveness against these practices.
State promotion of tourism drives the predatory interests that promote
sex tourism and sexual exploitation of underage girls for prostitution
in Cuba.
The booming oil sector in Equatorial Guinea contributes to making the
country both a transit point and destination for trafficking of women
for prostitution.
The estimates of the number of Indians trafficked into forced labor
and the sex trade runs into the millions, in addition to thousands of
Nepalis and Bangladeshis trafficked to India for sexual servitude.
Trafficking in persons in India is a significant problem, and some
government officials participated in and facilitated the practice.
While India continues to lack a national law enforcement response to
its trafficking in persons problem, some progress has been noted in
individual states and the central government recently expressed a
commitment to establishing and implementing a national anti-trafficking
policy.
Violence and discrimination towards vulnerable groups continued to be
a problem in Tanzania. In August, the semi-autonomous island of
Zanzibar outlawed homosexuality and set severe penalties in its
autonomous island territory. On mainland Tanzania, 4 million women and
girls have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), and despite a
law partially outlawing the practice, police rarely enforced the law
and the average age of the practice appeared to have decreased in an
effort to avoid detection.
Worker rights:
In Iraq, the exercise of labor rights remained limited, largely due to
violence, unemployment, and maladapted labor organizational structures
and laws, although, with international assistance, some progress was
underway at year’s end. According to the Brussels-based International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), workers reported
organizing unions in workplaces where they were forbidden under the
laws of the former regime and revitalized union structures previously
dominated by the Ba’ath party. The International Labor Organization (ILO)
provided technical assistance to Iraq throughout the year to help
bring its labor laws into line with international labor standards,
rebuild the capacity of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs,
establish emergency employment services, and put in place training and
skills development programs.
In April, a Commission of Inquiry appointed under Article 26 of the
ILO Constitution visited Belarus to investigate a complaint that the
Government was systematically violating its obligations under the
ILO’s fundamental Conventions on freedom of association and protection
of the right to organize and bargain collectively, both of which it
has ratified. The Commission’s report, issued in October, concluded
that the country’s trade union movement was subject to significant
government interference. The Commission recommended that the
government take all necessary steps to register independent unions,
amend laws and decrees restricting freedom of association, protect
independent trade unionists from anti-union discrimination, and
disseminate the Commission’s conclusions and recommendations. It
stated that most of these recommendations should be implemented by
June 2005 at the latest.
Under the leadership of President Bush the United States has stepped
forward with its democratic allies to reaffirm our commitment to human
rights and democracy. We rest upon the principle that nations governed
by free people will be the cornerstone for the development of a world
that is more peaceful for all. The execution of our democratic duty
depends on the determination and passion of its promoters. Let the
following Country Reports serve as an indicator of the progress made
and as a guide for the challenges ahead.
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41586.htm