The modern concepts of "human rights" and "civil liberties" are of Western origin, not native to the Middle East. Their introduction into the Arab world has been patchy at best, as local traditions of governance saw themselves threatened by such foreign imports. Absolutism was not easily overthrown in the West itself, as the history of Europe can attest. Nonetheless, as the record will show, the Arab states have a long way to go to catch up with the modern world in this respect. Arab regimes share one main aim - is to survive. What happens to the rights of the individual under such regimes is of little importance, and if the individual belongs to a minority group or religion, too bad for him or her. Arab and Muslim states can be broadly grouped under three categories, according to their degree of democratization and respect for human rights:
- one-party dictatorships: Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Tunisia, Afghanistan.
- multi-party regimes: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Algeria, Kuwait, Palestinian Authority.
- traditional Islamic regimes: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, UAE and (non-Arab) Iran as well as Pakistan.
The second group allows a limited degree of parliamentarianism, some freedom of speech and organization, but with clear, and often harsh, limits set to criticism through the use of strong police and security services.
The third group is based on traditional Islamic values and concepts of government with some tokenism designed to present a more modern face. There ensue different approaches to the rights of women and minorities that do not always meet with globally-accepted norms.
This paper will point out the more glaring instances of human rights violations in some of these countries.
IRAQ
Iraq provides a prime example of a despotic regime. This is a police state where the dictator, Saddam Hussein, rules with an iron fist through the Baath party and a widespread network of secret services. Saddam, a Sunni Muslim, oppresses the Shia Moslem and Kurdish elements of the Iraqi people and has himself ordered the imprisonment and execution of thousands.
He has even used poison gas to kill Kurdish villagers as at the infamous massacre of Halabja. Of course not a word of this is to be found in the Iraqi press where a personality cult in the Stalinist tradition has been developed. But Iraqi exiles have made the truth known to the world and it is now available also on the Internet.
Saddam is naturally the target of a human-rights campaign to have him indicted for his crimes, and there should be no doubt that eventually he will be held accountable for the misery and degradation he has inflicted upon his own people. They have not forgotten for example the "Anfal" campaign of 1988 when Saddam's army razed 5,000 villages and massacred over 180,000 non-Arabs. During recent months, in 2001, hundreds of thousands of Kurds have again been evicted from their homes in the Kirkuk region. They are being replaced by Arab settlers brought in by Saddam to "Arabize" and colonize the Kurdish homeland. This ethnic cleansing has gone almost unreported by the media, and it deserves to be exposed and publicly condemned.
Arbitrary arrest, torture, amputation and worse, face the Iraqi citizen daily, while being terrorised into parroting slogans that glorify the vicious tyrant. Women have been raped by Saddam's own sons, a method used also to blackmail opponents into submission and surrender for fear of revealing the stain on family honour. Due process of law, habeas corpus and so on are non-existent in Iraq. Extensive information is provided on the Internet about Iraqi human right violations (see Human Rights Watch World Report 2001 - Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan).
SUDAN
No less vindictive towards its minority groups, Sudan's record of oppression is appalling. The Arab north has for decades encouraged the capture of black African women and children in the south of the country, who are then sold as slaves. The crime of slavery is perhaps the worst charge that can be brought against this Arab-African government, and it should be the focus of a concerted effort of human rights groups, of all nations, to end this disgrace. As the people of southern Sudan (many of them Christian) strive for their freedom, their villages have been bombed, their women raped, their men-folk tortured and murdered. Tens of thousands have been forced to abandon their villages. Human rights workers, students and lawyers trying to protect these peoples' rights have themselves become the victims of killings.
SYRIA
The report of Amnesty International on Syria for the year 2000 does not indicate an improvement in the human rights situation in that country, despite some minor changes.
Hundreds of of political detainees are in jail, in difficult conditions, and hundreds have simply disappeared. Syria does not permit any political opposition. Citizens may be arbitrarily arrested ,and their fate decided by courts tainted with corruption. Amnesty and Human Rights Watch have reported extensively on Syrian human-rights violations. Mention should be made of the oppressed Kurdish minority in Syria. These people are denied their civil rights and may not own land, for example. Freedom of the press is nonexistent and Syrian intellectuals are under constant surveillance.
LEBANON
This country is de facto a vassal of Syria and consequently the grip of Syrian repression is keenly felt in Lebanon. The prisons of Lebanon are notorious for the torture of inmates. Minority group members, especially Christians, suffer many indignities. Palestinians living in Lebanon are forbidden to own land and properly.
PAKISTAN
The regime of Pakistan is nominally democratic but in fact General Musharraf has imposed an autocratic form of rule on the country. Although there is some freedom of the press, human and civil rights in Pakistan are honored more in the breach than in the observance. There are reports of torture and executions, religious minorities do not enjoy protection, and there is much violence against women and children. All political opposition has been banned and opponents of the regime have been jailed. The government has been placed above the law, with severe limitations set on the judiciary. The police force is corrupt and terrorizes the population it is supposed to protect. Prison conditions in Pakistan are appalling, with no rights for prisoners.
IRAN
Iran, defining itself as an Islamic Republic, is annually condemned by the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva because of the many violations of human rights in that country. Freedom of the press is a thing of the past with many journalists in jail. About 40 newspapers have been shut down by the regime. Political opponents of the regime have been killed by the secret services, and religious minorities (Christians, Baha'is, Sunnis and Jews) are persecuted. Ethnic minorities such as Azeris, Arabs, Kurds, Turkomans and Baluchis, are treated as second-class citizens. Women in Iran are struggling for their rights, hoping their lot will not be the same as that of their sisters in Afghanistan.
Iran is sensitive to criticism of its violations of human rights, but its answer is that Islamic punishments should not be carried out in public: Abdolnaser Qavami, head of the Majlis judicial committee. told the Iranian newspaper "Hayat-e-Now" (25 July 2001) that stonings, for example, should be carried out discreetly. This followed the stoning to death of a woman in Evin prison, Teheran (Christian Science Monitor 26/7) which was denounced by Amnesty International.
Human rights activists say Iran's sentencing practices put women at particular risk for this form of punishment. A spokesman for Amnesty International in London said: "While the death penalty is never less than cruel and unnecessary, it does seem that "moral offenses" are penalized along patriarchal lines in Iran, with women suffering an excruciating death by stoning and - as in recent reported cases - men sentenced to be dispatched relatively quickly by hanging."
The Palestinian Authority
The Palestinian Authority is controlled by an authoritarian regime surrounded by a multiplicity of security services, clearly deriving much of its organizational ethos from dictatorships in the Arab world. Human rights are often brushed aside by the regime, which has scant respect for due process or governmental accountability and transparency. Palestinian prisons are known for torture and brutality. There is little respect for freedom of the press and criticism brings swift retribution. Among the targets of the PA has been the Qatari TV station, al-Jazeera, which saw its offices shut down in March 2001 after criticizing Chairman Arafat.
The Palestinian Human Rights organization "Addameer" states on its web-site that "The Palestinian Authority violates human rights by carrying out political arrests without trial, establishing a state security court, enforcing capital punishment and restricting the freedom of speech." The Palestinian independent commission for citizens' rights was established in 1993, not as an NGO but as a state-run organ. Because it could not be said to be impartial and objective, another body called the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group was founded in 1996 to protect human rights in the Palestinian Authority because of repeated violations by the Palestinian Authority. The PHRMG has published the names of 24 Palestinian men who have died in Palestinian Authority prisons between 1994 and 2001.
SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi Arabia is a traditional Islamic monarchy following the orthodox Wahhabi Sunni religion. In the kingdom all political opposition is forbidden. There are strict limitations on the freedom of speech and the press, and the legal code is based on the Sharia. This legal code provides for severe punishments including amputation, whipping and execution. There is no freedom of religion for Christians, and the Shia minority is strictly supervised. Women are clearly the object of discrimination.
ALGERIA
In Algeria over 2,500 people were murdered in 2000 by Islamic extremists. But the killers were pardoned, for the most part, under a general amnesty. Since 1993 over 4,000 Algerians have disappeared without trace. The Algerian security forces practice torture. There ar, e strict limitations on the freedom of speech and assembly.
TUNISIA
Human rights organizations accuse the Tunisian government of contravening the rights of journalists, political activists and human rights supporters. About a thousand political prisoners are in jail, while many more are harrassed by the authorities. Demonstrations are put down with ferocity.
LIBYA
Libya, a dictatorship, has no local human rights NGOs. The law forbids political parties or criticism of the regime. The press is state-controlled. Opposition figures are jailed without trial and often tortured. In September 2000 there were racially-motivated attacks on Africans from southern Sahara leaving many dead and injured.
AFGHANISTAN
The subject of Human Rights in Afghanistan is under constant scrutiny by international bodies. The Taliban party rules over about 95% of the country's territory and imposes its authority by means of force and violence.
According to reports received by Amnesty and other organizations, executions, severing of limbs and flogging take place - at times even without trial. The victims are men, women and children. In addition, the Islamic militia persecutes the Hindus on religious grounds; their actions include the destruction of statues of the Buddha, compulsory wearing of veils by women, and the wearing of identifying tags.
At the beginning of January 2001 it was reported that the Taliban had massacred more than 300 unarmed persons, including women and children, in the Bamian district.
This ruling militia enforces a discriminatory policy against ethnic and religions minorities, violates human rights and restricts the rights of women.
The Taliban enforce Islam's strictest rules in preventing women from engaging in most professions and fields of study, and in requiring men to grow beards and to pray five times daily. Any form of recreation, including viewing of television and listening to music, are forbidden.
No comments:
Post a Comment