International Helsinki Federation blasts Belarus' elections, referendum

2004-11-16 16:15:00

Minsk, 16 November. The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) condemned as "flawed" Belarus' parliamentary elections and referendum held this past October. The matter was high on the agenda of the IHF General Assembly held in Moscow between November 11 and 14, the press office of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC) told BelaPAN. In its statement adopted at the General Assembly, the IHF accused the Belarusian authorities of discriminating against pro-democracy candidates during the parliamentary campaign. In addition, the international organization denounced the government's move to "put an end to the activities of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the only nationwide registered human rights group still able to operate." Although, a court cleared the group of controversial tax evasion charges brought by the authorities earlier this year, the case so far has not been dropped, according to the IHF statement. The IHF noted that government-controlled media outlets had unleashed a smear campaign against BHC officers accusing them of "misappropriation of funds." The IHF used the forum to express concern over massive human rights abuses in Uzbekistan, Ukraine's presidential elections and Russia's human rights record. The Helsinki Committees also considered what they called numerous human rights problems in the developed democracies in the OSCE region, including discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities in European Union countries, and came to the conclusion that the human rights climate in the region showed signs of deteriorating and required diligent monitoring. The IHF urged "the international community to reaffirm its commitment to human rights and democracy, and take a strong stand with regard to undermining human rights for the sake of national security interests, as respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms was and remains one of the prerequisite to the existence of secure and developed democratic society." The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights is a self-governing group of non-governmental, non-profit organizations in 42 countries that act to protect human rights throughout Europe, North America and Central Asia.