Chechnya Dissent In

Second, we remain deeply concerned about the government's religious persecution of Christians, animists and those Muslims who fail to adhere to its own particular brand of radical Islam. Third, since the beginning of this year, the government of Sudan has violated its own cease-fire agreement by intensifying its aerial bombardment of civilian targets, with attacks reported in the Nuba Mountains, Western Equatoria and Bahr el Ghazal. We particularly abhor the bombing and killing of civilians, including children in the Nuba Mountains. Fourth, Sudan has refused permission for flights for numerous Operation Lifeline Sudan sites in western Upper Nile. According to the Special Rapporteur, the government has forcibly displaced thousands of people in this area and continues, despite the deteriorating situation, to ban humanitarian flights into there. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Koh Responds to Questions about U.S.-Sponsored China Resolution

"We recognize," Koh said, "that the government of Russia has legitimate concerns about territorial sovereignty and about terrorism, but that does not justify indiscriminate shelling of civilians, it does not justify obstructing humanitarian access or human rights monitors from coming in, and that there have been credible allegations of extrajudicial killings that we believe must be subjected to a full, free and fair investigation." ...

Koh noted that the Russians have invited High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson to visit both Moscow and Chechnya from March 31 to April 5, and that Robinson will report to the Commission on her findings on her return. "I think a large number of members of the Commission will be very anxiously awaiting her report, and will decide how the Commission itself ought to respond on that basis." ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: Albright March 23 Address to UN Human Rights Commission

Another area that commands our attention is Chechnya. We understand Russia's need to protect its territorial integrity and to defend its population against terrorism and attacks from insurgent groups. But the United States joins with many others in objecting to the indiscriminate use of force against civilians. ...

During that period, there were widespread arrests of those seeking to exercise their right to peaceful political expression. Thousands of members of the Falun Gong movement were detained. Authorities continued to limit the ability of Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists to worship in accordance with custom and conscience. Minority groups such as the Tibetans and Uighurs were barred from fully exercising their cultural and linguistic heritage. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Transcript: Albright, Koh, Q&A on Human Rights Reports

Finally, in Russia, Chechen armed insurgent groups' attack and seizure of villages in Dagestan escalated by the end of 1999 into a full-fledged attack by Russian forces on Chechen separatists, including the provincial Chechen capital of Grozny. The Russian attack included air strikes and the indiscriminate shelling of cities predominantly inhabited by civilians. These attacks led to house-to-house fighting in Grozny, the death of numerous civilians and the displacement of hundreds of thousands more. There are credible reports of Russian military forces carrying out summary executions of civilians in Alkhan-Yurt, and in the course of the Grozny offensive. ... [Read More]

Daily Press Briefing for September 30 -- Transcript

2:30 p.m. EDTMR. BOUCHER: Good afternoon, everybody. It's good to be here with you. I think the Secretary answered most of your questions earlier, but I just couldn't let a day go by without spending some quality time here with my friends. If I could, I'd like to take a minute at the top just to update you on some of the activity we have in terms of hurricane relief in the Caribbean. We are active in Grenada, where we've given more than $900,000 worth of emergency supplies. We've had four flights down there as of last week and there's additional money that's going in and being spent now on things like the electrical system and various transport and other assessments. We provided more than $694,000 for relief in Jamaica. That's two flights of relief supplies that have gone, that went down there and then a lot of the ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Transcript: State Department Noon Briefing, January 11, 2000

So I know there are some who believe that that linkage has proved useful, but I think the record demonstrates that it hasn't worked to improve the human rights of the people of China. In fact, in 1998 the situation improved at the very time we supported normal trade relations. So I think although many are well intentioned in trying to create that linkage, I think we find that the people of China - even the dissidents themselves - recognize that they're better off when that link isn't made because, the more China is integrated into the international community, the better chance we have of getting China - and this is the point the President made yesterday on the World Trade Organization - the more they adopt the rule of law economically, the greater chance -and it's not a guarantee but a chance - to have that apply more broadly to the rights of individuals. ... [Read More]

USIS Washington File: SERB MEDIA TREATMENT OUTRAGES COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS

The committee report said dissent and critical reporting continued to be muzzled in countries in the Middle East through state control, censorship, intimidation, criminal prosecution and imprisonment. It noted that independent journalism does not exist in the most repressive states -- Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Tunisia. Journalists in Algeria who attempted to report about civilian massacres had lingering fears of assassination, and government restrictions in that country kept many details about the war out of the public eye, CPJ added. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Transcript: Taylor: Good Human Rights Policy Is Good Counterterrorism

AMB. TAYLOR: Well, certainly I think journalists play a key role in terms of public opinion, public knowledge of the threats that the world faces from terrorist groups, and the evil that such organizations can perpetrate against humankind by their terrorist event. I have been given to say that I believe -- and no one has corrected me on this -- that the events of the 11th of September were the first ever internationally broadcast terrorist attack while the attack was actually occurring. And the impact of that I think has been unbelievable in terms of the human connection -- regardless of where people were -- in seeing that attack, and in understanding the human dimension, the human tragedy of people who would for political reasons conduct such a horrific act. The media I think served the world well in broadcasting that as a part of what you do every day to keep the world informed. And we need to continue to work very hard, to honestly and objectively report the facts about terrori ... [Read More]

Introduction

At the same time these positive trends took place, China's poor human rights record worsened during the year, as the authorities intensified their harsh measures against underground Christian groups and Tibetan Buddhists, destroyed many houses of worship, and stepped up their campaign against the Falun Gong movement.  China also sharply suppressed organized dissent.  In Burma the military continued its severe repression, holding Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest for much of the year, detaining her supporters, imprisoning many religious believers, and coercing numerous persons, including children, into forced labor.  North Korea's situation remained among the worst in the world:  The Government stifled all dissent and widely curtailed freedom of religion, political prisoners were held in forced labor camps, and malnutrition remained widespread.  In Afghanistan the Taliban continued to be a major violator of human rights, severely restricting women's and girls' ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Transcript: National Security Advisor Rice Briefing on APEC Meeting

DR. RICE: Let's not go to whether he is or is not. At this point, he is not. There's nothing scheduled at this point. Look, there is a lot of propaganda about America and America's goals that is out there. And we recognize that we have to do a better job of countering that propaganda. I think that if the people in the Arab world were able to see the pictures of these American women, Christians and Jews, carrying women who take the veil to do their shopping so that they wouldn't have to be fearful, I think that if word can get out that the President has asked that American children do something for Afghan children, I think that if the word can get out to remind people that America has gone -- used force to save the lives of Muslims against Serbs in Kosovo, or to save the lives of Muslims in Kuwait or in Bosnia, that these are messages that need to get out. ... [Read More]