Gay In Bahrain

The Government arbitrarily detained representatives of independent media (see Section 2.a.). On October 17, police arrested Russian journalist Pavel Sheremet on allegations of starting a fight in which Sheremet received serious injuries. Credible reports indicated that Sheremet was the victim of the assault, not its perpetrator, and that his detention was related to his journalistic work. Charges against Sheremet were later dropped. Police on multiple occasions during the year detained journalists for Russia's REN TV who were covering protests. Unidentified plainclothes officials working for the security services also regularly apprehended and detained individuals engaged in anti government demonstrations and who distributed opposition materials. Several plainclothes officers apprehended youth group leader Dmitryy Dashkevich as he shouted, "Shame!" during an address by President Lukashenko announcing a referendum that would eliminate term limits on the presidency and thus permit him to ... [Read More]

Index
[Read More]

Bangladesh

The Government's poor human rights record worsened, and the Government continued to commit numerous abuses. Security forces committed a number of extrajudicial killings. The police; the paramilitary organization, Bangladesh Rifles (BDR); the auxiliary organization, Ansar; and the military deputed to the RAB used unwarranted lethal force. Police often employed excessive, sometimes lethal, force in dealing with opposition demonstrators, and police and RAB personnel routinely employed physical and psychological torture during arrests and interrogations. Prison conditions were extremely poor and were a contributing factor in some deaths in custody. Police corruption remained a problem. Nearly all abuses went unpunished, and the climate of impunity, reinforced by 2003 legislation shielding security forces from legal challenge of their actions, remained a serious obstacle to ending abuse and killings. Violence, often resulting in deaths, was a pervasive element in the country's politics. Sup ... [Read More]

United States Libraries in South Africa: Topics--Human Rights Archive

This study finds that the UN's approach to protecting vulnerable populations of internally displaced persons (IDPs) "is still largely ad hoc and driven more by the personalities and convictions of individuals on the ground than by an institutional, system-wide agenda." It notes that staff efforts in the field are often undermined by a lack of political and financial support from headquarters and UN member states. The authors propose that the United Nations make the protection of civilians and the prevention of displacement "a core part of its mandate," in particular through:More assertive advocacy on behalf of the displaced by both staff in the field and by senior officials at headquarters, including intensive dialogues with governments, public statements, bringing protection concerns to the attention of the Security Council and a more supportive attitude towards field representatives who may be threatened with expulsion as a result of their advocacy.Greater will ... [Read More]

Sri Lanka
[Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Transcript: White House Press Briefing, Monday, April 9, 2001

Q: On that point, you obviously have a number of members of Congress coming out and saying that they're rethinking their support for PNTR, they're beginning to think that maybe this should in some way be linked to arms sales to Taiwan. Aside from what the administration might hold out as the list of things that are being harmed, what do you see, in terms of relationship with Congress, that are being harmed? ...

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I'm not going to discuss the exact tactics that the President is using in the middle of this negotiation. I think what you heard a little bit on the shows was that at the very beginning of this it took a little bit of time to get in touch with the proper authorities in Beijing. And as you know, the President -- this incident began at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday night last week -- the President did not say anything on Sunday. When we were not able to get clear information about the status of the crew, the President spoke out on Monday so that we could learn about the health of the crew. And the President's statements did lead, of course, to the first meeting that took place with the crew, so we were able to ascertain their status. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Transcript: White House Daily Briefing, November 29

Q: My question is, India and Pakistan are thankful to President Bush for bringing them on the table, negotiating table and peace in the region. But I see a report here now in India Globe that U.S. is offering sophisticated weapons to both countries, India and Pakistan, and U.S. is offering more to India now. On the one hand, we are trying to bring peace between two countries, on the other hand, we are selling sophisticated weapons to both countries because those weapons will be used against each other, as history shows in the past. So what will President claim now when President Musharraf comes in the White House that -- how this peace negotiation will continue? ... [Read More]