Preface

Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2005 - 2006

Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor

Today, in growing numbers across the globe, men and women are pressing for their rights to be respected and their governments to be responsive, for their voices to be heard and their votes to count, for just laws and justice for all. Growing also is the recognition that democracy is the form of government that can, over time, best meet the demands of citizens for dignity, liberty, and equality.

As President Bush stated in his second inaugural address, "… 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."

In the Broader Middle East, the past year saw indigenous calls for democratic reform, the beginnings of political pluralism, unprecedented elections, and some new protections for women and minorities. The people of Iraq went to the polls three times and held to democracy’s course despite high levels of violence. The men and women of Afghanistan cast their ballots countrywide in the first free legislative elections since 1969, even as the Government struggled to expand its authority over provincial centers.

The first post-conflict elections in Liberia resulted in Africa’s first elected female head of state, marking a milestone in Liberia’s transition from civil war to democracy. Latin American and Caribbean democracies continued to confront the challenges of strengthening weak institutions, fighting corruption, and redressing social inequality. Ukraine’s new government, reflecting the democratic will of the people, made notable improvements in human rights performance. And Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim majority country, strengthened the architecture of its democratic system when, for the first time, citizens directly elected their leaders at the city, regency, and provincial levels.

Meanwhile, from Burma to Belarus, China to Cuba, North Korea to Syria, and Iran to Zimbabwe, courageous men and women suffered persecution for exercising their fundamental freedoms of expression, association, assembly, and movement, and against great odds continued to work for peaceful change.

This report describes the many ways American foreign policy helped citizens and governments around the globe turn their increasing demands for human rights and democracy into programs of action.

Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State

U.S. Human Rights and Democracy Strategy

Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2005 - 2006

Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor

The United States applies a wide range of diplomatic tools in support of human rights and democracy across the globe. This report summarizes our strategy in every region, and describes what we did to support indigenous reform efforts in 95 countries over the past year.

As President Bush has said in January 2005: "Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. … America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way."

To further that goal, the United States responded to the growing global demand for greater personal and political freedom by supporting the efforts of those calling for reform. We stood in solidarity with the brave men and women around the world who were persecuted by repressive regimes for exercising their rights. By on-the-ground interaction with government officials, civil society organizations and individuals, and through multilateral engagement on the regional and global levels, we defended international human rights standards and advanced democratic principles.

So that fellow democracies can better deliver democracy’s blessings to their people, we helped them strengthen their institutions of government and sink deeper roots for the rule of law. We encouraged the full participation of all citizens, including women and minorities, in the public life of their countries. To ensure that the will of the people would prevail, we promoted political pluralism and helped to level playing fields so that elections would meet international standards. We called to account democratically elected governments that did not govern democratically. And, as they came under siege in many countries around the world, we championed the vital contributions to democracy of independent media and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

In Fiscal Year 2005, the United States budgeted $1.4 billion for human rights and democracy programming. We also fostered democratic reform efforts through well targeted development assistance, such as the innovative Millennium Challenge Account, which links a country’s eligibility for poverty alleviation funding to good governance. At the same time, we continued to bring economic sanctions to bear on systematic human rights violators like the Burmese and Cuban regimes. In concert with the Group of 8 industrialized nations (G-8) and regional governments and NGOs, the United States launched two new institutions to foster indigenous reform in the Broader Middle East and North Africa -- the Foundation for the Future, which supports civil society; and the Fund for the Future, which supports investment. Finally, the United States sought to make international institutions more effective defenders and supporters of human rights and democracy. To that end, in Fiscal Year 2005 we provided $10 million to the United Nations Democracy Fund and pressed for the creation of a new, credible Human Rights Council at the United Nations that excludes the worst violators.

In all of these efforts on behalf of human rights and democracy, the United States welcomed the partnership of other governments and we sought the ideas and expertise of NGOs that do the hard work of defending human rights and building democracy citizen by citizen, institution by institution, and country by country each and every day.

Europe and Eurasia

Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2005 - 2006

Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor

"Freedom of association and peaceful demonstrations are considered fundamental human liberties, which have a huge significance for free flow of information, ideas and opinions in a democratic society."
--Sukhrobjon Ismoilov, Chair, Tashkent city branch of "Ezgulik" Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan

In Europe and Eurasia, 2005 brought positive developments toward building democratic societies with respect for human rights and the rule of law in some areas and disappointing trends in others. Perhaps most startling was the dramatic change of government in Kyrgyzstan following fraudulent elections in the spring. However, the spring also saw the Andijon massacre in neighboring Uzbekistan and the subsequent crackdown on witnesses, their families, and activists whom the Government tried to implicate in the events that led up to the crackdown. Another disappointing trend this year was the continuing erosion of democratic principles and human rights in other parts of Central Asia, as well as in Belarus and Russia. Nonetheless, independent media, free speech, and civil society flourished elsewhere in the region, such as in the Balkans and Ukraine.

The United States maintained its vigorous support for democracy and human rights in the region in 2005 through various tools. It diplomatically engaged governments of the region bilaterally and in concert with democratic allies, as well as through multilateral forums. U.S. officials at the highest levels have regularly called on leaders throughout Europe and Eurasia to protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of their citizens, govern democratically, and hold free and fair elections. The United States also employed a wide range of assistance tools, including training, technical and legal assistance, grants, and exchanges, as well as trial and election monitoring. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continued to play a vital role in promoting democracy and respect for human rights. The United States worked throughout 2005 to protect the OSCE’s core values enshrined in the Helsinki Accord and subsequent agreements and the autonomy of its democracy promotion activities, such as its election observation efforts.

The United States continued its robust support for democratic institutions and processes in the region, including free and fair elections. This support was provided through diplomatic engagement bilaterally and multilaterally with international partners such as the OSCE and European Union, as well as nonpartisan assistance programs. These efforts focused on major elections in Albania, Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan in 2005 and on promoting democratic elections scheduled for early 2006 in Belarus and Ukraine. High-level U.S. officials urged these governments to conduct elections that would meet OSCE standards. In all of these cases, U.S. diplomacy and assistance supported democratic electoral processes, not a particular candidate. U.S. assistance focused on promoting voter choice and education and on increasing the transparency of the electoral process. Assistance included support for election reform, monitoring media access and objective coverage, national candidate debates, voter education, domestic and international observation, exit polling, and nonpartisan political party training, with an emphasis on encouraging the participation of underrepresented groups, including women and youth, in the political process. In addition, the United States continued to provide vigorous diplomatic and programmatic support for democratic governance, including assistance to local governments and parliaments and support for transparency, accountability, decentralization, and anti-corruption efforts.

Democracy is not just about elections that reflect the will of the people; it also entails a vibrant civil society. The United States has continued to urge governments in the region to respect the fundamental freedoms of expression, association, and assembly and to foster flourishing civil societies as the backbone of democracies. The past year has seen restrictions on civil society and harassment of NGOs in various parts of Eurasia. Many governments in the region and beyond misinterpreted the so-called "color revolutions" in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan—in which people spoke out against electoral fraud and corrupt regimes in favor of popularly elected governments—as the work of NGOs funded by and doing the bidding of foreign governments. In response, some governments—including Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus—imposed varying degrees of restrictions on NGOs, particularly on foreign funding, and on political opposition and dissent. U.S. assistance continued to strengthen democratic civil societies and to develop the capacity of NGOs for effective advocacy, governmental oversight, and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. U.S. assistance to NGOs is transparent and abides by the principles of the OSCE and international standards. The United States offered support and technical assistance to NGOs that work to protect human rights, develop freedom of expression and media, monitor elections, serve as watchdogs on government actions, and provide vital services to citizens and refugees.

Another cornerstone of U.S. democracy and human rights promotion in the region remained support for robust independent media that offered diverse views and objective information for citizens. U.S.-funded programs have provided training and exchanges for journalists, assistance to independent print and broadcast media to build their capacity and sustainability, aid to improve the legal framework for media, legal aid for media outlets, and increased access to objective information through the Internet. Events in Kyrgyzstan in 2005 demonstrated the centrality of media freedom to aspiring democratic societies, particularly through the visible role that the U.S.-funded independent printing press played during the democratic breakthrough. In Moldova, the United States successfully used the results of a U.S.-funded independent media monitoring project to prompt the Government of Moldova to grant more equal media access and coverage in the run-up to the March 2005 parliamentary elections.

Promotion of the rule of law and human rights, including religious freedom, remained a core element of U.S. efforts in the region. The United States continued to support human rights defenders and advocate for judicial reform and independence. The United States, bilaterally and through the OSCE, provided support and training to human rights activists and NGOs throughout the region, building organizational capacity and fostering advocacy for the rule of law. U.S. officials provided moral and material support to human rights and democracy defenders and, when permitted, attended their trials and visited many in prison. The United States also provided training to law enforcement and military personnel on protecting human rights, including freedom from torture.

The United States continued to speak out against abuses, including individual cases of abuse, and urge protection of human rights and the rule of law wherever these are threatened, including with our allies in Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. The United States led international calls for an independent international investigation into the Andijon events. At the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, the United States supported and voted for the resolution introduced by the EU concerning the abuses in Uzbekistan, including those related to Andijon, and, in conjunction with the EU and several other countries, jointly introduced a successful resolution that condemned and called upon the Government of Turkmenistan to address severe human rights abuses. At the April 2005 UN Commission on Human Rights, the United States co-sponsored a successful resolution expressing concern about the Government of Belarus’ actions on a range of human rights issues.

As the Secretary of State has repeatedly said, the United States does not compromise its promotion of democracy and human rights for security interests. Indeed, the United States maintains that stability, prosperity, and security hinge on robust democratic societies that respect human rights, the rule of law, and fundamental freedoms.

First-Ever, Live, Nationwide Presidential Election Debates in Kyrgyzstan

The sudden, dramatic ouster of former President Akayev prompted a new presidential election in July 2005. Emerging from the grip of authoritarianism, including restricted media freedom, presidential candidates were immediately faced with the challenges of developing and communicating their political platform to voters, while Kyrgyz citizens needed to familiarize themselves with candidates and key issues. The United States supported several projects to address these needs and to promote democratic elections. One of these projects included funding Internews to work with the Kyrgyz National Television and Radio Corporation (NTRK) to assist in the production and broadcast of Kyrgyzstan’s first live, nationwide election debates in the run-up to the July 2005 presidential election.

In preparation, experts surveyed over 800 Kyrgyz citizens nationwide to determine the optimal content, format, language, medium (radio versus television), and broadcast time for the debates. Over 50% said that the debates would help them make their decision on election day. Media experts from Kyrgyzstan and Russia trained journalists and producers on the methodology and practical aspects of producing pre-election political debates and talk shows for television and radio and oversaw technical, design, and content issues.

Starting in May 2005, Internews launched a multifaceted information campaign to explain the project to Kyrgyz officials, the candidates, and the public. To this end, Internews wrote letters to and met with high-level Kyrgyz officials and all candidates, published several articles and press releases about the debates, and distributed these to most Kyrgyz media outlets. Several articles about the debates were published in the local press and special edition newspapers and the debate schedule was included in voter information disseminated by partner organizations.

Four television debates took place between July 4 and July 8, 2005. The six official candidates paired off in three 90-minute debates, while four participated in a final 120-minute debate. Each debate had a general theme ranging from property rights, the March 2005 revolution, political reform, presidential elections, and civil society. During the live broadcasts, each candidate was allocated 25 minutes of speaking time in the three first debates and 12 minutes in the final one. Candidates and audience participants were free to ask questions in Russian or Kyrgyz. In addition, the debates included the following:

• Short video biographies of the candidates shown at the beginning;
• Candidate presentations on the debate theme and their political platform;
• Short video reports on the debate theme;
• Questions from the Bishkek studio audience comprised of NGO leaders, journalists, civil society representatives, and candidates’ supporters;
• Questions from an outdoor citizens’ audience in Osh via a live connection;
• Concluding remarks from each candidate; and
• Audiences’ concluding remarks and recommendations to the candidates.

In addition to the television debates, Kyrgyz State Radio, following an Internews training program, prepared and broadcast a series of election-related programs.
The debates received widespread coverage in both domestic and international print and electronic media, particularly on the day when the leading candidate, interim President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, participated. Journalists were allowed in the studio before and after the debates to gather material for reports. All debates were simultaneously broadcast on the state radio channel "21 Vek." With support from the OSCE, local NGO Internews Kyrgyzstan translated the live debates and organized their rebroadcast with Kyrgyz and Russian subtitles on the state broadcaster the next morning. Also with OSCE support, popular private station Osh TV, which covers much of the southern and Uzbek populations of Kyrgyzstan, broadcast the debates with simultaneous translation in Uzbek to reach the resident Uzbek community. The main independent Kyrgyz press agency, Aki-Press, published regular reports of all debates, detailing arguments and positions expressed by candidates. NTRK reported that the debates had large audiences throughout the country and were well received. Some voters said that the debates had indeed played a role in their candidate choice.

In short, the project improved the professional capacity of NTRK staff to produce and host debates. In addition, it offered fair and balanced new coverage, gave candidates prime media time to communicate their views to voters, provided voters with opportunities to pose questions directly to candidates, and helped voters make an informed choice on election day.

Armenia

The Armenian Government’s human rights record remained poor, although there were some improvements in a few areas. President Robert Kocharian’s broad executive powers remained relatively unchecked by a compliant parliament, a judiciary subject to political pressure and vulnerable to corruption, and a weak, fractious opposition. The 2003 presidential and parliamentary elections that extended Kocharian’s presidency and brought the country’s ruling coalition to power were both marred by serious voting irregularities, as was a November 2005 national referendum that led to the adoption of a package of constitutional amendments. At year’s end, it remained unclear how or to what extent the Government planned to implement the new amendments and other legal reforms required by the Council of Europe (CoE) under conditions of Armenia’s accession in January 2001. The few political rallies and public demonstrations in 2005 drew only nominal attendance. As a result, police activity was not a serious problem as in years past. Physical abuse and lengthy pretrial detention of some suspects and witnesses remained a problem, as did police and prosecutorial corruption. Prison conditions remained poor. There were some limits on freedom of the media, assembly and religion. Violence against women continued, as did trafficking in persons (TIP).

The U.S. human rights and democracy strategy for Armenia focused on promoting democratic institutions and processes, independent media, freedom of assembly, a vibrant civil society, rule of law, human rights, freedom of religion, and anti-TIP measures. Armenia’s recently approved, five-year Millennium Challenge Compact (MCC) is tied to its performance on these and other indicators related to good governance. The United States emphasized to Armenian authorities that continued eligibility for MCC funding remained contingent upon the Government’s progress toward ruling justly.

The Embassy convened a special Democracy Strategy Working Group in 2005 to determine how to best utilize U.S. resources in the run-up to parliamentary and presidential elections in 2007 and 2008. The United States inaugurated a three-year package of financial and technical elections assistance that focused on enhancing the capabilities of the Armenian election administration (including producing accurate voter lists, providing public information and voter education), developing a democratic political culture, building public opinion polling capacity, strengthening fair electoral adjudication, enhancing election monitoring capabilities, strengthening political parties, and increasing independent media coverage.

The United States consistently raised the importance of media freedom and responsibility with high-level officials, media directors, and journalists. To promote media freedom, the United States launched a new program in 2005 to develop professional media outlets, decrease heavy dependence on biased political sponsorship, and tune programming to public interest. Building on the successes of earlier efforts, the program supported training and technical assistance to help media outlets qualify for and repay loans funded by the United States. The program also established a television ratings system to provide critical information designed to help media outlets develop audience-based programming and increase advertising revenues. The U.S. International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) funded professional and ethics training for journalists and business training for media managers.

To provide free access to independent sources of information, U.S. programs installed a series of Internet Connectivity Centers (ICC), which connected Armenian citizens and schools to one another and the rest of the world. Through the ICCs, a nationwide network of schools and communities engaged in organized discussion forums, courses and other learning activities, which included curricula on principles of democracy, civic involvement, and community development. Two American Corners provided information about U.S. democratic institutions and facilitated cultural events, which included an ongoing series of guest lectures by U.S. officers and exchange program alumni. Lecture topics included: American Political Parties, Democratic Values, Religious Pluralism in the United States, and Civil Society and the State in America.

To promote a vibrant civil society, U.S. officials consistently encouraged the Government, independent and opposition political parties, and civil society to engage in constructive dialogue on good governance issues. With substantial U.S. funding, local NGOs pursued initiatives to promote human rights, media freedom, democratic development, and civil society. This strengthening of civil society produced concrete results. A government-proposed draft law on lobbying introduced in 2005 threatened to curtail significantly the ability of Armenian NGOs to advocate a range of issues until effective lobbying by local and international NGOs -- many of which the United States supported -- prodded parliament to table the bill. U.S. grants supported the creation of municipal councils to encourage citizen participation in government.

U.S. officials urged the Government to respect freedom of assembly and closely monitored the few demonstrations and rallies that took place during the year.

To promote the rule of law and a democratic system of checks and balances, the United States worked with others in the international community to support CoE efforts to help Armenia arrive at a package of constitutional amendments consistent with international standards. The United States provided technical legislative expertise and funds for public awareness campaigns. The Association of Judges of Armenia (AJRA) unanimously approved the constitutional amendments and adopted a new Code of Ethics, which was drafted with U.S. assistance. U.S. programs also helped create a new Chamber of Advocates, which began work in 2005 to establish a Code of Ethics for Armenian attorneys. These reforms did not significantly alter the Armenian legal and judicial environment in the short-term, but provided a good foundation on which Armenian judges and lawyers may build an independent judiciary. To promote the rule of law, the United States also helped train judges, lawyers, and prosecutors. Every U.S. assistance program included anti-corruption components in 2005 in order to fight a persistent culture of corruption.

To promote respect for human rights, U.S. programs provided technical and financial support to link Armenian human rights NGOs with counterpart NGOs in Armenia and throughout the South Caucasus. Armenian human rights NGOs used the contacts to share and develop best practices, initiate cooperative regional training programs, and promote human rights for women, children, minorities, and prisoners. U.S. grants supported public information campaigns to protect the rights of persons with disabilities.

The Ambassador and other U.S. officials frequently discussed religious freedom issues with the Government and religious leaders as part of the overall policy to promote human rights. The Embassy maintained close contact with the Catholicos at Etchmiadzin (the head of Armenia’s national church, the Armenian Apostolic Church), with leaders of other religious and ecumenical groups in the country, and with traveling regional representatives of foreign-based religious groups such as the Church of Latter-Day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses, and raised their concerns with the Government. The Embassy closely monitored trials related to religious freedom and took an active role in policy forums and NGO roundtables regarding religious freedom. In meetings with government officials, the Embassy consistently raised the importance of alternatives to military service for Jehovah’s Witnesses who are conscientious objectors. The Embassy hosted several roundtable meetings and receptions in honor of U.S. representatives of religious organizations and invited leaders of local minority religious groups to these events.

Combating TIP in Armenia remains a top priority. While the United States downgraded Armenia to Tier 2’s "Watch List," U.S. programs produced concrete results. The United States funded a victims’ assistance program that provided safe haven and medical, social and legal services, facilitated the repatriation of six victims of TIP, and funded a victim hotline. U.S.-funded programs produced nation-wide public awareness campaigns and trained advocates of victims of TIP. U.S. programs also supported anti-TIP training seminars for orphanage staff and children and funded the establishment of a public information website on TIP.