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SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY | 91

We have witnessed some improvements in human rights, democracy, and the rule oflaw in many European and some Eurasian countries, though serious problemsremain in others. Across the region, even in countries where non-governmental and

political-opposition groups have been the targets of government repression, civil society contin-ues to develop. In Europe, progress has been made on regional conflicts and refugee/internallydisplaced persons (IDP) returns. The international community, including the Organization forSecurity and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the European Union (EU), the North AtlanticTreaty Organization (NATO), and the United Nations, has played a major role in achieving theseresults. However, the conflict in Chechnya and associated violations of human rights and inter-national humanitarian law continue, with little meaningful accountability. Progress on otherregional conflicts and refugee/IDP returns in Eurasia also remains to be made.

International observers considered 2002 elections in Serbia andMontenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia, Macedonia and Albania free and fair,while recent elections in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan andArmenia have been flawed. Upcoming elections across the region willbe important barometers of democratic development. We are urginggovernments, particularly those in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine andRussia, to take adequate measures to assure elections and campaignsthat meet OSCE standards.

Other challenges remain, too. The continued involvement of the inter-national community continues to be crucial to overcoming remainingconflict and post-conflict issues and the development of democracy and respect for human rightsand fundamental freedoms. Significant rule of law reform is needed to ensure equal protectionunder the law for all citizens. Media freedom remains a concern throughout much of theEurasia region. Government efforts to restrict media freedom procedurally, e.g., through deny-ing licenses, through pressure on broadcasting or newspaper management or by harassing jour-nalists is a problem throughout the region. Lack of accountability for the murders of journalistsin Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia and opposition figures in Belarus continues. Torture -– a prob-lem in much of Eurasia — remains of particular concern in in Uzbekistan, where we continue toreceive reports of death in detention. We are waiting to see progress on recommendations madeby the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. Violence against religious minorities must beaddressed in Georgia, and religious freedom also is limited in several other Eurasian countries.Several key indicted war criminals remain at large in the Balkans.

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"The world has a clearinterest in the spread ofdemocratic values,because stable and freenations do not breed theideologies of murder.They encourage thepeaceful pursuit of a bet-ter life."

President BushSpeech at American EnterpriseInstitute, February 26, 2003

[continued on page 92]

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U.S. strategy for promoting democracy and human rights employs a combinationof consistent, high-level diplomacy and assistance programs. We are funding arange of country-specific and regional projects supporting free media, civil socie-ty including human rights groups and independent labor unions, religious free-dom, democratic elections, political party development, good governance, therule of law and anti-trafficking measures. We use bilateral and multilateral chan-nels, primarily the OSCE but also the UN Commission on Human Rights, both tosupport positive developments and to highlight instances of abuse.

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In Uzbekistan, Freedom House opened the first human rights non-governmentalorganization (NGO) resource center in Tashkent in October 2002. The center expe-riences a high volume of human rights defenders using the resources available at thecenter including computers and Internet access, and local human rights defendersuse the center to hold regular meetings and press conferences. Freedom House hasreceived numerous requests to open other resource centers in other parts of thecountry. Freedom House has begun hosting round table discussions on specifichuman rights topics, including torture, the death penalty, and the InternationalHelsinki Federation Charter. The U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan has requestedthat USAID begin a similar program in Kazakhstan.

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The human rights situation in Albaniacontinues to improve, but remains poorin many areas. These problems stem pri-marily from political instability, a weakjudiciary and widespread corruption. Toaddress Albania’s human rights anddemocracy weaknesses, the 2002-2003U.S. human rights and democracy strate-gy for Albania stresses the promotion ofdemocracy and civil society, combatingcorruption, developing a free and respon-sible press, providing assistance on policereform, encouraging freedom of religionand assisting victims of human traffick-ing.

The U.S. Embassy in Tirana worked withcivil society groups, the Albanian govern-ment and the international community topromote participatory democracy, elec-toral reform and the development ofindependent oversight agencies in theAlbania government. The Ambassadorraised the issue of electoral reformrepeatedly with Albanian political lead-ers, encouraging constructive politicaldialogue and discouraging efforts toweaken independent government agen-cies. U.S. assistance programs totaling$7.3 million addressed voter registration,political party building, parliamentaryassistance, government decentralizationand NGO development. EmbassyDemocracy Commission grants weredirected toward organizations addressingcivic education and community develop-ment, resulting in elected officials nowroutinely facing demands of the citizenry.

Corruption continues to be a debilitatingforce in Albanian democracy. The UnitedStates has consistently raised the need to

fight corruption in public statements andin meetings with Albanian officials.These efforts were factors in the dis-missals and pending prosecutions of sev-eral high level political and law enforce-ment figures, including a deputy ministerand several police officials. Severaljudges have also been dismissed for cor-ruption. Corruption is now recognized asa serious political issue. The U.S.Government supports the Office of thePeople’s Advocate, the Government of

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U.S. officials continued to press for therights of women and minorities. The visitof a prominent Greek-American activistwas utilized to highlight the issue ofminority rights with the Government ofAlbania, including treatment of such dis-enfranchised communities as Roma andEgyptians. The U.S. Government ranprograms on the rights of Roma and oneducation for children with disabilities.

Embassy officials raised the issue of reli-gious intolerance in specific cases withlaw enforcement officials, leading toeffective legal action. The U.S.Government continues to raise the issueof restoration of religious propertiesseized by the former communist regime.

USAID focused $300,000 on the preven-tion of human trafficking and on assistingvictims of trafficking. In addition to thecontinuation of a shelter for third countrytrafficking victims, USAID efforts includ-ed creation of a reintegration supportnetwork for Albanian victims.

The Embassy organized InternationalVisitors Programs for Government offi-cials involved in the fight against organ-ized crime and corruption.

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Albania’s ombudsman and a key check ongovernment corruption, through training,collaboration and participation in theinternational community’s “Friends ofthe People’s Advocate” committee.USAID spent $3.375 million to establishthe Albanian Coalition AgainstCorruption and the Citizen’s AdvisoryOffice, an NGO offering legal assistancein corruption cases. These programshave produced cooperation between gov-ernment and civil society. USAID-fundedtechnical assistance and Embassy advo-cacy also led directly to the drafting andrecent passage of a financial disclosurelaw, which requires an annual declarationof assets from government officials –including members of parliament, policechiefs, military commanders, and direc-torate heads. Democracy Commissionand Department of Justice programshave helped build the capacity of theAlbanian National Police’s Office ofInternal Control, which is working tocurb corruption and build a more profes-sional police force, run human rightsawareness programs for police, andreduce corruption among prosecutorsand judges.

The U.S. Government condemned inci-dents of press irresponsibility, whileclosely monitoring reports of press intim-idation by politicians. USAID’s $1.39million Professional Media Program isworking to provide Internet access for theentire journalism community. The proj-ect led to the creation of “Heros ofAlbania,” a television series highlightingcitizens’ participation in communityimprovements, as well as a successfulinvestigative journalism training pro-gram.

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Armenia’s human rights record is poor.To pursue its 2002-2003 human rightsand democracy strategy for Armenia, U.S.officials work with international anddomestic human rights groups, as well aswith Armenian government agencies, toencourage the Government to guaranteedemocratic electoral processes, freedomof the media, assembly, and religion,more respect for the rights of prisoners,women, children and persons with dis-abilities and to reform the judicialprocess and increase government trans-parency at all levels. U.S. assistance tosupport this strategy in Fiscal Year (FY)2002 totaled approximately $12 million.

The Embassy has used its DemocracySmall Grants Program to work withArmenian organizations in the areas oflocal democracy, media freedom, andawareness of and respect for humanrights. The Defense Attache office andthe Bureau of International Narcotics andLaw Enforcement Affairs (INL) have pro-vided human rights training, often aproblem area, for military and lawenforcement officers. The Ambassadorand other embassy officers met with gov-ernment officials to protest detentionswithout due process of those detained inconnection with demonstrations toprotest the conduct of the 2003 presiden-tial election. Embassy officers attendedthe court cases of many detainees to con-vey U.S. concern at the treatment of thedetainees.

Recent elections have not met OSCEstandards. Since 2002-03 are electionyears in Armenia (local in October 2002,presidential in February and March

2003, and legislative in May 2003), theU.S. human rights strategy has focusedheavily on the need for fair, open, andtransparent elections. USAID has workedwith the International Foundation forElection Systems (IFES), the NationalDemocratic Institute (NDI), the UnitedNations Development Program (UNDP)and local non-governmental organizations(NGOs) to train election observers andproxies, establishing Voter List AdvisoryCommittees (VLACs) to correct andupdate voter lists, and publish 10,000copies of the electoral code for use bylocal election officials, media, and NGOs.The American Bar Association’s CentralEuropean and Eurasian Law Initiative(ABA/CEELI) has trained judges on elec-tion adjudication. In addition, USAIDdonated workstations and other officeequipment to Territorial ElectionCommissions (TECs).

In the first round of the presidential elec-tions (February 19) and the second round(March 5), more than 20 Embassy officersand family members worked as part ofthe Organization for Security andCooperation in Europe’s Office forDemocratic Institutions and HumanRights (OSCE/ODIHR) monitoring effort,visiting precincts across the country andfollowing the vote count. An even largernumber of Embassy staff assisted theOSCE/ODIHR effort as translators anddrivers. A similar effort is planned for thelegislative elections May 25. For monthsbefore and during the presidential cam-paign, the Ambassador and Embassy offi-cials used press conferences, media inter-views, and meetings with presidentialcandidates (including the President),politicians, and the head of the CentralElection Commission (CEC) to press the

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USAID supported the EurasiaFoundation in financing a private print-ing press for newspapers as an alternativeto the state-operated facility, and workedwith Junior Achievement of Armenia tocontinue a civic education program insecondary schools. The Embassy contin-ues its effort to establish “Internet class-rooms” in Armenian secondary schools togive children access to a broad range ofopinions and ideas; by the end of 2002the program included 120 schools andwill be expanded in 2003.

In the area of religious rights, only theArmenian Apostolic Church has the rightto proselytize since Armenian law impos-es a number of restrictions on all otherreligious groups. However, both theGovernment and minority religiousgroups say that these restrictions are notenforced. The only religious group withrestrictions currently being tried in theArmenian courts is the Jehovah’sWitnesses (JW). The Embassy hasworked closely with local and interna-tional JW officials to raise their concernswith the Government about registrationproblems and prisoners convicted of con-scientious objection. The Embassyobserves JW trials for proselytizing.

According to JW, as of April 28th, therewere 20 prisoners being held for consci-entious objections in Armenia. Severalhad their sentences lengthened uponappeal, and higher courts upheld thosesentences. This harsh treatment contin-ues despite Armenia’s membership in theCouncil of Europe (COE), and obligationsto which it agreed upon acceding to theCOE.

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need for fair, honest, and transparentvoting procedures and vote counting andfor timely dissemination of results. Thiseffort won considerable favorable publici-ty in the Armenian media. The Secretaryof State sent a letter to PresidentKocharian on the need for the presiden-tial election to meet OSCE standards andmade the same point to the ArmenianForeign Minister. Following both elec-tion rounds, the Department of Stateissued press statements; the final state-ment concluded that “Armenia’s leader-ship missed an important opportunity toadvance democratization by holding acredible election.”

Linked to the human rights focus on elec-tions is an emphasis on professionalism,openness, and equal access in the media,sometimes a significant problem area inArmenia, especially during the pre-elec-tion period in 2003. USAID worked withthe International Research andExchanges (IREX) Board/ProMedia topublish election information supplementsfor insert in newspapers and to conducttraining classes on election coverage. AUSAID grantee, Internews, organized aseminar for local journalists on electionreporting and journalistic ethics, andanother grantee helped organize candi-date debates. Internews generally assistsmedia outlets to become politically inde-pendent, increases citizens’ access tounbiased information, and advances afair legal environment for media. Afterthe independent television station “A-One Plus” lost its frequency, the Embassydemarched the Government on restric-tions of press freedom and theAmbassador stressed to Armenian offi-cials the necessity for the opposition to beguaranteed equal access to air time.

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In the area of worker rights, such as col-lective bargaining and the ratification ofILO Convention 182 on the worst formsof child labor, U.S. officials continue topress the Government directly andthrough international institutions to rem-edy deficiencies in the enforcement ofthese rights.

Trafficking in persons has become agrowing area for our human rightsefforts. With State Department funding,the Embassy is working with theInternational Organization for Migration(IOM), the United Nations DevelopmentProgram (UNDP), and domestic NGOs toestablish public awareness programs andto break down prejudice towards victimsof trafficking among law enforcementofficials and the population in general.The Embassy works with ABA/CEELI toassist the Government to write fair andcomprehensive laws covering traffickingin persons. Two International Visitorsprograms have been reserved to sendGovernment officials and NGO membersto the U.S. for training on American anti-trafficking programs and legal structure.

Finally, any account of American aidmust mention the efforts of the PeaceCorps Volunteers, who have been workingin Armenia since 1994. Their efforts onthe local scene in the fields of education,awareness of legal rights, and other areashave been enormous, have had a signifi-cant local impact, and have won immenseand justified gratitude from the Armenianpeople.

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Azerbaijan’s human rights record remainspoor. The 2002-2003 U.S. human rightsand democracy strategy for Azerbaijanaddresses a wide range of critical issues,including respect for human rights andthe rule of law, support for democraticprocesses, civil society, media and reli-gious freedom, and anti-trafficking efforts.U.S. assistance in support of this strategytotaled approximately $8 million in FiscalYear (FY) 2002.

State Department and Embassy officialsregularly meet with a range of humanrights and democracy activists, represen-tatives of pro-reform political parties andreligious minorities, as well as with gov-ernment officials in support of our strate-gy. A senior Bureau of Democracy,Human Rights and Labor (DRL) officialtraveled to Azerbaijan in 2002 to rein-force support for our objectives.

In support of freedom of assembly, U.S.officials repeatedly encouraged Azerbaijanofficials to peacefully resolve tensions

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government authorities on necessaryreforms. The U.S. also worked closelywith political parties. For example, theU.S. funded the National DemocraticInstitute’s (NDI’s) and the InternationalRepublican Institute’s (IRI’s) activities,which included political party-buildingand election-monitor training. In themonths leading up to the August 24,2002, referendum on the government’sproposed Constitutional amendments,U.S. officials urged Azerbaijani govern-ment officials to adopt specific reforms.The Embassy co-sponsored the first-evernationally televised roundtable debatesbetween government officials and repre-sentatives of opposition parties and civilsociety on the amendments. TheEmbassy fielded 30 observers to monitorthe Constitutional referendum. Whenserious irregularities marred its conduct,the U.S. raised concerns both with seniorAzerbaijani officials, and at thePermanent Council of the OSCE. Weurged the Government to put in placeeffective mechanisms to ensure a fair andimpartial electoral process for the future,noting that “reforms are essential for theelectoral system and the results it pro-duces to be judged credible by the citi-zens of Azerbaijan as well as by the inter-national community.”

In preparation for the 2003 presidentialelection, the Embassy established anElection Strategy Team that includesnon-governmental organization (NGO)representation to coordinate the interna-tional community’s efforts to promote anelection that meets OSCE standards. TheAmbassador and visiting Department ofState officials have urged seniorAzerbaijani officials to adopt specificreforms to enhance the fairness and

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with the villagers of Nardaran. Embassyofficials also attended the trial of theNardaran defendants to encourage Azeriauthorities to conduct a trial in accor-dance with international standards.

To promote the rule of law, the U.S. hasfunded the American Bar Association’sCentral European and Eurasian LawInitiative (ABA/CEELI) to enhance theprofessional development of judges andlawyers and to assist them in developingcodes of ethics, assist a future bar associ-ation in developing and administering abar exam, expand programs for law stu-dents, assist women in gaining betteraccess to justice, and conduct a legal lit-eracy program for the general public.

Recent elections have not met Organi-zation for Security and Cooperation inEurope (OSCE) standards. In advance ofan important constitutional referendumand upcoming presidential election, theprimary focus of our human rights anddemocracy effort therefore was advancingdemocratic political processes. The U.S.maintained an intensive dialogue with

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transparency of the election. The U.S. isfunding the International Foundation forElection Systems (IFES) to provide tech-nical election assistance to the CentralElection Commission and the PrecinctElection Commissions. The Embassyused Democracy Commission resourcesto encourage the development of demo-cratic institutions in Azerbaijan. Forexample, grants enabled local NGOs tohost seminars on democracy.

A strong civil society is integral to democ-racy. The U.S. therefore continues tosupport the development of civil societyin Azerbaijan. For example, in 2002 theU.S. launched a two-year programdesigned to strengthen the ability of 36NGOs to effectively represent the inter-ests of a well-defined constituency.Democracy Commission grants have sup-ported a variety of projects ranging fromresource centers for NGO development tosupport for the publication of NGOnewsletters. Embassy officers have trav-eled throughout Azerbaijan to supportNGO activities. The Embassy also worksclosely with the Government to helpimprove cooperation between theGovernment and NGOs. In 2002 theEmbassy gave the new Ombudsman’soffice a grant to help her improve theGovernment’s role in resolving com-plaints about human rights violations.

Another focus of U.S. efforts was thedevelopment of a free and responsiblemedia. U.S. funding through the NGOInternews supported the professionaldevelopment of journalists and advocacyfor media rights. U.S funding enabledInternews to produce three weekly televi-sion programs, and to provide extensiveongoing technical and programming sup-

port to several independent television sta-tions. Democracy Commission grantshave supported newspaper productionand trained journalists in how to avoidand defend themselves against libelcharges. The Ambassador, other Embassyofficials, and visiting U.S. officials alsorepeatedly urged the Government ofAzerbaijan to respect media freedom.

The U.S. has worked actively to encouragerespect for religious freedom. TheEmbassy and officials in Washingtonmaintained close connections with thelocal religious community and met fre-quently with government officials to stressthe importance of respecting religiousfreedom. Intervention by the Ambassadorhelped a local religious bookstore obtainpermission to import religious books,including Bibles. Embassy andDepartment officials met with Azerbaijaniofficials and participated in an OSCE con-ference on religious freedom that was heldin Baku.

The U.S. also has used programs toencourage greater religious tolerance andrespect for religious freedom. In spring2002 the Embassy organized a very suc-cessful visit by Imam Hendi ofGeorgetown University to Azerbaijan,where he spoke about Islam in America.The State Department hosted anInternational Visitors Program for thechairman of the State Committee forWork with Religious Associations. TheEmbassy actively spread the messageabout religious tolerance and Islam inAmerica throughout the year, including atan Iftar dinner hosted by the Ambassadorin November. In the fall, embassy officersvisited numerous Azerbaijani universities

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humanitarian aid and academic exchangeprograms. Other exceptions forexchanges involving government officialscan be made on a case-by-case basis ifsuch exceptions contribute to the U.S.strategy in Belarus.

State Department and Embassy officialsregularly meet with a range of humanrights and democracy activists, represen-tatives of pro-reform political parties, andreligious representatives. U.S. officialsadvocate for human rights observanceand adoption of democratic principles inmeetings with government leaders,through press statements, and in theOrganization for Security andCooperation in Europe (OSCE) andUnited Nations Commission on HumanRights (UNCHR). Embassy officers alsoattend the trials of human rights activists,journalists and political leaders.Embassy staff regularly monitors demon-strations.

Throughout 2002, the U.S. worked inclose cooperation with the OSCEAdvisory and Monitoring Group (AMG)in Belarus, and pressed hard for theregime to maintain an OSCE presence inthe country. The regime effectively shutdown the OSCE AMG office by refusing toextend visas for OSCE international staff.In concert with the European Union, theU.S. instituted visa restrictions that con-vinced the regime to agree to a new OSCEOffice in Minsk. The U.S. also encour-aged Russia to address the need for polit-ical reform in Belarus.

To focus international attention on thedisappearances, the U.S. sponsored a res-olution on Belarus at this year’sCommission on Human Rights (CHR).

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to talk about religious tolerance and U.S.-Azerbaijani relations, and to distributeliterature on the subject.

Trafficking in persons is a problem. TheU.S. therefore promoted anti-traffickingmeasures and effective preventive mecha-nisms in meetings with Government offi-cials, and through programs that includ-ed an anti-trafficking awareness cam-paign conducted by NGOs. The U.S. par-tially funded a trafficking research studyby the International Organization forMigration. U.S. officials visited theregion to discuss the issue, andAzerbaijani officials were invited oninternational visitors programs on traf-ficking, and to the Department’s anti-trafficking conference in Washington.

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The Lukashenko regime’s human rightsrecord remains very poor. The 2002-2003 U.S. human rights and democracystrategy for Belarus addresses a widerange of critical issues, including respectfor human rights, accountability for thedisappearance of well-known oppositionpolitical figures and a journalist, the ruleof law, the development of a democraticpolitical and electoral process, supportfor civil society, media and religious free-dom, worker rights, and anti-traffickingefforts. U.S. assistance in support of thisstrategy totaled approximately $7.5 mil-lion in Fiscal Year 2002.

U.S. Government assistance to theGovernment of Belarus (GOB) continuedto be subject to a policy of “selectiveengagement,” under which no bilateralassistance is provided directly to theGOB. Exceptions to this policy include

ocratic political parties. USAID’s imple-menting partners on the political processstrengthening program worked closelywith reform-oriented parties. They con-ducted training on election campaigningfor representatives of a range of pro-democracy parties before the recent localelections. They also began work withPartnership, an organization dedicated tononpartisan civic education and electionmonitoring work. The InternationalVisitor Program sent Belarusians to theU.S. in FY 2002 for professional trainingon the role of election commissions indemocracy building and the U.S. politicalsystem. In FY 2003, the U.S. organizedfive International Visitor Programs focus-ing on elections and democratic politicalprocesses.

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The resolution also called attention toother human rights concerns and wonapproval 23-14-16 on April 17.

The judiciary is not independent. TheU.S. therefore continued to provide ruleof law assistance in 2002. For example,a staff attorney from the American BarAssociation worked with legal expertsfrom a non-governmental organization(NGO) to train 26 attorneys from over 20legal advice centers on how to representhuman rights cases, with special atten-tion to cases of disappearances, innational and international courts.

Recent elections have not met OSCEstandards. The U.S. therefore providedtraining and technical assistance to dem-

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partners hosted a roundtable on the law’slegal and constitutional implications andorganized a press-club session on reli-gious freedom issues raised by the law.

Restrictions on worker rights continue.The U.S. therefore supported pro-reformlabor union activists via a $500,000grant providing technical assistance andsub-grants to independent union publica-tions, and a FY 2003 InternationalVisitor Program on independent tradeunions. The U.S. continues suspension ofBelarus’ eligibility for Generalized Systemof Preferences (GSP) because of theregime’s failure to accord internationallyrecognized worker rights.

Trafficking in persons remains a prob-lem. The U.S. therefore promoted anti-trafficking measures through meetingswith GOB officials, a $300,000 grant foran anti-trafficking media campaign,meetings with NGOs, international train-ing for experts, a conference for women,and an International Visitor Program.

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Since the signing of the 1995 GeneralFramework Agreement for Peace inBosnia and Herzegovina (the DaytonAccords), human rights abuses havediminished. However, the country stillneeds considerable help recovering fromthe violence, ethnic strife, and otheratrocities that occurred during the war,and in preventing further incidents. Italso needs help in creating the structuresof a civil society. The 2002-2003 U.S.human rights strategy for Bosnia andHerzegovina (BiH) focuses on a widerange of issues, including democracy and

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Civil society is integral to democracy.The U.S. therefore continued to providesupport to Belarusian civil society in2002, including technical assistance orgrants to local NGOs for human rightsmonitoring and educational programs,and support for youth and women’sgroups. Grants helped local NGOs andthe independent media to explain theprinciples of democracy, such as electionfairness, to Belarusian citizens and mobi-lized independent opinion and action atthe community level. In FY 2003, anInternational Visitor Program addressedNGO Management.

Restrictions on freedom of the mediacontinue. The U.S. therefore providedsupport for the development of inde-pendent media in 2002. This includedtechnical assistance and grants to inde-pendent print and electronic media. InFY 2003, the U.S. organizedInternational Visitor Programs on news-paper distribution, radio station manage-ment, and print journalism. Embassyofficers also visited independent journal-ists jailed for doing their jobs.

Prior to passage of a restrictive religionlaw in 2002, the Embassy met with gov-ernment officials early in the legislativeprocess to discuss the law’s problems andtreatment of unpopular religious groups.After the law’s passage, Department offi-cers met in Minsk with religious leadersand religious freedom NGO advocates.(Officials of the Government’s ReligiousAffairs Committee refused to meet withthe Department officials.) A Departmentofficial held a press conference in Minsk;the Department issued a press statementand made a statement at an OSCE meet-ing decrying the law. In FY 2003, USAID

Association Central European andEurasian Law Initiative.

In its efforts to build a civil society, theU.S. Government provided financial sup-port ($386,000) and political support toadvance the goals of and improve theeffectiveness of the BiH, Federation, andRS Human Rights Ombudsmen, as wellas continuing to financially support theBiH Human Rights Chamber($800,000). As part of its CIVITAS civiceducation program, the Embassy assistedin developing a democracy and humanrights course that is now taught in allsecondary schools in the country. Fourthousand teachers attended a 5-day semi-nar on how to teach this course, and thecourse is included in all teacher-trainingfaculties. The U.S. Government donated$475,000 to this program, as well as100,000 democracy and human rightstextbooks to elementary schools, highschools and universities nationwide.

the rule of law; war-related problemssuch as missing persons, demining, andrefugees; ensuring free and fair elections;promoting the free flow of information;and helping to combat trafficking and toassist victims of trafficking in persons.

The legal system in BiH has been unableto protect the rights of either victims orcriminal defendants adequately becauseof its inefficient criminal procedure codesand ineffective trial procedures.Furthermore, the judiciary has been sub-ject to influence by political parties. Inorder to strengthen the rule of law, theEmbassy encouraged passage of legisla-tion that established a BiH State Court,which is empowered to adjudicate claimsinvolving State laws and may include awar crimes chamber to adjudicate casestransferred from the ICTY. The U.S.Government provided funding to helpestablish this institution — along with $1 million for CriminalCode training, $500,000 for training inCriminal Law, and $200,000 in supportfor Prosecutors — and provided secondedstaff for advisory positions. In addition,the U.S. Government provided $1 millionto the Independent Judicial Commissionand the High Judicial and ProsecutorialCouncils (HJPCs), which are responsiblefor restructuring the judiciary at both theState and entity levels. The Embassy alsoprovided $500,000 to the BiHConstitutional Court. Other U.S.Government contributions to the BiHlegal system include: $1.5 million to theInternational Criminal InvestigativeTraining Assistance Program; $700,000to IRIS (reform of the AdministrativeLegal System in BiH); and approximately$200,000 to the American Bar

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Finally, the U.S. Government provided$3.3 million from Support for EastEuropean Democracy (SEED) funds toPADCO, Inc, for Northeastern BosniaLocal Government Support Activity; and$555,536 to America’s DevelopmentFoundation, to enhance the sustainabilityof BiH NGOs.

The U.S. continued to fund ($2 million)activities of the InternationalCommission on Missing Persons (ICMP)in Bosnia, which uses DNA technology,along with other methods, to help identi-fy the remains of missing persons fromthe conflicts in the former Yugoslavia.

The U.S. Government also provided $1million, as well as political support, tothe Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial andCemetery Project, where the victims ofthe 1995 Srebrenica massacre will beburied. The Ambassador is a member ofthe Executive Board of the Foundationfor this project.

The U.S. Government provided over $3.5million to demining programs in BiH.The assistance went to both commercialand NGO demining operations andincluded programs for mine victim assis-tance.

The Bureau of Population, Refugees andMigration funded 25 percent of theUnited Nations High Commissioner forRefugees budget and 22 percent of theInternational Committee for the RedCross budget. In addition, the Embassysponsored approximately 10 houseclean-ing projects throughout the country, inwhich the Ambassador and Embassy staffcleared debris and removed destroyedportions of houses so that they could bereconstructed.

The U.S. Government provided signifi-cant financial support for the conduct ofthe October general elections. Some ofthe programs funded by the Embassyincluded voter education and civic organ-izing programs in rural Bosnian commu-nities ($250,000), ballot production,supporting the get-out-the-vote cam-paign of the local NGO OTPOR in theRepublika Srpkska ($215,680), and pub-lication of a get-out-the-vote letter fromthe High Representative to all citizens ofBiH. Twenty observer teams of Embassypersonnel also deployed to polling sta-tions throughout the country on electionPH

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day. Partly as a result of the Embassy’swork, Organization for Security andCooperation in Europe (OSCE) electionofficials reported that the elections werefree and fair. The U.S. Government hascontributed $584,527 to the NationalDemocratic Institute for InternationalAffairs political party and parliamentarydevelopment program.

The Embassy conducted a workshop oninvestigative reporting for radio journal-ists that covered techniques for reportingon issues of crime, corruption, and offi-cial management of public resources.The U.S. Government also funded anInternational Visitors Program to assistgovernment spokespersons of the BiHPresidency, parliament and various min-istries to provide public information andtransparency in the institutions they rep-resented.

New legislation has been enactedaddressing the legal status of religionsand registration procedures in Bosnia.The Embassy is monitoring implementa-tion and religious community acceptanceof this new law since religious issuesoften go hand in hand with ethnic differ-ences and can impact stability

The U.S. funded programs aimed at end-ing trafficking in persons and providingassistance to trafficking victims. The U.S.Government’s contribution to anti-traf-ficking efforts has been $345,000.Embassy staff from several U.S. lawenforcement agencies provided trainingand support to an interagency task forceinvestigating trafficking and illegalmigration. The Embassy provided a

grant for a public information campaignand hotline to warn women of the dan-gers of trafficking.

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Georgia’s human rights record remainspoor; although there have been a fewimprovements, serious problemsremain. The 2002-2003 U.S. humanrights and democracy strategy forGeorgia addresses a wide range of criti-cal issues, including respect for humanrights and the rule of law, democraticelections, broadening public participa-tion in political life, media and religiousfreedom, and combating trafficking inpersons. U.S. assistance in support ofthis strategy totaled approximately $13.5 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2002.

Members of the security forces continueto commit serious human rights abuses,including torture or beatings to extractconfessions or money. The U.S. isattempting to address this problemthrough a five-year plan to develop andequip an independent forensic laborato-ry and train its management and staff aspart of an effort to increase the overalleffectiveness of law enforcement agen-cies and decrease the tendency of theseagencies to rely on forced confessions.To address pervasive corruption in lawenforcement agencies, the U.S. works inconjunction with the European Union toaid Georgian officials in reforming the“power ministries”, which include theMinistry of Internal Affairs, the Ministryof State Security and the Procuracy.

Judicial independence does not yet exist.In order to strengthen the rule of law inGeorgia, the U.S. continued to provide

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assistance in 2002. This supported judi-cial reform, ethics training for judges,and administration of judicial qualifica-tion exams through Department ofJustice and USAID programs. The U.S.supported implementation of the Law onthe Bar through the development of anew national bar association, includingbar examinations, and assistance indrafting a Code of Ethics for advocates.With U.S. funding, the American BarAssociation provided training to judgesand the criminal prosecution and defensebar on the provisions and application of aprojected new Code of CriminalProcedure. U.S. activities in support ofthe implementation of a variety of lawsincluding the Law on Freedom of Speechincreased civic awareness of legal rights.U.S. programs also enhanced Georgiancitizens’ knowledge of their rights as wellas their access to legal counsel by sup-porting legal clinics and legal service cen-ters across Georgia.

Georgia’s elections have been criticizedby the Organization for Security andCooperation in Europe (OSCE) and otherobservers. U.S. assistance therefore con-tinued to support the development of ademocratic electoral process in Georgia.Such assistance supported efforts toincrease voter education and participa-tion by young voters, and assistance tothe election administration. The U.S.also supports political party developmentand candidate training. The Ambassadorhas been an active participant in theAmbassadorial Working Group onElections, which has repeatedly encour-aged the highest levels of theGovernment to ensure elections thatmeet OSCE standards. The Ambassadorand his staff also regularly meet with

party leaders and non-governmentalorganization (NGO) observers.

A strong civil society is integral to democ-racy. The U.S. therefore continued toprovide support to Georgia’s civil society.For example, the “Citizens Advocate!”program strengthened local NGO andcommunity organizational skills, with anemphasis on expanding the constituencybase and developing sustainable financialsupport. With U.S. assistance, localorganizations raised public awareness ofgovernmental and societal roots of cor-ruption and encouraged wider under-standing and proper application of theAdministrative Code to curtail abuse bygovernment officials.

The U.S. continued to support develop-ment of independent media. The U.S.brought four professional media trainersto Georgia for 2-6 weeks each in the areasof radio network management, profes-sional press spokespersons and televisionnewsroom management. The U.S.brought a Georgian state television crewand print journalist to the U.S. toenhance reporting on freedom of religion,human rights and the global war on ter-rorism. The U.S. supported a program toimprove media professionalism andfinancial viability. The program support-ed training for print and broadcastmedia, including basic business manage-ment skills. It also supported improve-ments in Georgia’s regulatory and legalframework to allow independent mediato operate with fewer impediments.

In the United States, perhaps the highestprofile issue concerning Georgia has beenthe Georgian government’s continuedfailure to curb discrimination, harass-

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ment, and violence toward religiousminorities and secular religious freedomadvocates. Our Embassy in Tbilisi hasmet many times with Georgian officials toprotest such violence, as have seniorDepartment officials in their conversa-tions with the highest levels of theGeorgian government. The Departmentof State sent an officer to meet with gov-ernment officials and members of thefaith-based and human rights advocacycommunities, and to promote accounta-bility for violence against religiousminorities. The human rights officer fromEmbassy Tbilisi has been attending thetrial of one of the primary perpetrators ofsuch violence. Embassy officials have fre-quent meetings with members of religiousminorities and human rights advocacygroups. A Georgian recipient of a U.S.

grant organized a conference for religiousleaders seeking to promote tolerance,freedom of religion and peace in theCaucasus. International Visitor Programsbrought together several members of theGovernment of Georgia, NGOs, religiouscommunities and academia to focus onthe issues of religious tolerance.

Georgia is both a source and transit coun-try for trafficked persons. The U.S. there-fore promoted anti-trafficking measuresin meetings with government officials andthrough an International Visitor Program.Supported by the U.S., the American BarAssociation’s Central European andEurasian Law Initiative participated in aworking group to draft new anti-traffick-ing amendments to the Criminal Code.Parliament began consideration of these

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amendments in spring of 2003. TheEmbassy regularly meets with NGOsactive on the issue.

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In 2002 and early 2003 the U.S.Government focused its human rightsand democracy strategy on counteringthe Government of Kazakhstan’s clamp-down on the independent media andpolitical expression as well as on continu-ing the long-term goal of building anactive civil society. Efforts to promotehuman rights and democracy effortsincluded repeated demarches to theGovernment of Kazahkstan on cases ofhuman rights abuse and selective prose-cution of opposition voices, which includ-ed the arrest and conviction of two lead-ing opposition members and the arrest ofa prominent independent journalist. TheAmbassador and other senior U.S. offi-cials have also presented concrete pro-posals to the Government of Kazakhstanon ways to improve Kazakhstan’s humanrights record. Other efforts included out-reach to the human rights communityand independent media and assistanceprograms designed to support independ-ent media, legal reform, local govern-ment, political party development and tocombat trafficking. U.S. assistance tosupport this strategy in Fiscal Year 2002totaled approximately $8 million.

The U.S. Government advocated through-out the year for improvements in thecountry’s judicial systems, includingprison conditions and the right to a fairpublic trial. On prison reform, theEmbassy conducted one exchange pro-gram with prison officials and non-gov-ernmental organization (NGO) activists,

encouraged government-led humanrights training seminars for prison offi-cials, and included this key area in directsmall grant support, through two grantsto support supplementary educationalcampaigns among prison guards on therights of prisoners (over $18,000). Bypromoting alternatives to confinementsuch as parole and community servicethrough these programs and public state-ments, the U.S. played a large role in thepassage in December of legislation fur-ther humanizing the criminal justice sys-tem.

The U.S. Embassy was the only foreignmission to send observers to every day ofthree politically motivated trials duringthe year. In conjunction with repeateddemarches, the Ambassador raised allthree cases at the highest levels of gov-ernment. The Embassy publicly criticizedthe process in each case and continuedforceful advocacy on behalf of the threeconvicted individuals, including repeatedrequests to the Government to monitorthe conditions of their confinement.

U.S. officials worked throughout the yearto encourage the Government to increasepolitical freedom, which suffered a set-back with the passage of restrictive politi-cal party legislation. U.S.-funded assis-tance programs made possible multi-party training workshops for severalpolitical parties that focused on organiza-tional, strategic, and message develop-ment. This helped each party to producea multi-year organizational developmentplan, and also helped educate them onmulti-party democracy. This assistancehelped counteract the restrictive politicalparty legislation and resulted in manymore parties competing for re-registra-

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tion than had been expected at the timeof the law’s passage. In December 2002,the Embassy’s Democracy Commissionwas able to award quickly two grants toNGOs conducting election monitoringand exit polling in parliamentary by-elec-tions that had been called shortly beforeand took place at the end of that month.These NGOs documented widespreadinstances of fraud and other voting irreg-ularities, and publicized their findingsthroughout the country, holding theCentral Election Commission accountablefor following the law and its own rules.

The long-term goals of the U.S. assistancestrategy —building civil society and edu-cating the next generation — continuedthrough the turbulent year and into 2003.A small public affairs grant went to“Dauir” Publishing House to publish6,675 copies of a civics textbook“Introduction to Civic Education,” in boththe Russian and Kazakh languages. Thisproject built on USAID programs aimedat students and teachers of civics coursesat secondary schools throughoutKazakhstan. These efforts (textbooks,democracy summer camps, debate clubsand student local government days)enabled more than 30,000 young peopleto learn civic responsibility, tolerance,and respect for human rights.

To promote freedom of speech and showstrong support for the activities of inde-pendent media in Kazakhstan, theEmbassy’s Democracy Commissionawarded a grant to the media monitoringNGO Adil Soz, to participate in a govern-ment-sponsored working group on pro-posed new media legislation in Astana.Through this approach the Embassy wasable to forestall the likelihood that more

restrictions to freedom of speech wouldquickly be enacted. Several exchange pro-grams and USG funding for two mediaassistance programs enabled journalists toincrease their professionalism and mediaoutlets to develop sustainable strategiesfor financial independence. Theseapproaches, reinforced by messages to theGovernment by the Ambassador and othersenior USG officials, all helped send themessage to the Government that a vitalindependent media must exist.

On religious freedom, the Embassyrepeatedly demarched senior governmentofficials on restrictive religious legislation,resulting in the defeat of the bill in theConstitutional Council. The Embassy alsosupported religious tolerance with appear-ances and speeches by the Ambassador atevents of religious minorities andexchange programs to foster understand-ing in the Muslim community.

There was also intensive U.S. engagementon the issue of refugee rights. Throughrepeated demarches by the Ambassador,close coordination with Washington, andcooperation with international organiza-tions, the Government was successfullypersuaded to take the unprecedented stepof not deporting a prominent dissidentback to another country in the formerSoviet Union. The U.S. has maintainedthe pressure to pass implementing legisla-tion, as required by its accession to 1951Refugee Convention, in order to formalizethe Government’s international obligationto those fearing persecution.

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During 2002 and early 2003, the situa-tion of human rights and democracy inthe Kyrgyz Republic was mixed at best.Key problems were the politically moti-vated arrest of a top opposition figure aswell as continuing harassment of theindependent media and political opposi-tion; a major setback was the killing offive unarmed protesters in March 2002.The U.S. strategy to promote democracyand human rights was aimed at redress-ing these issues and included efforts tostrengthen democratic institutions,increase observance of human rights, andpromote the development of independentmedia. U.S. assistance to support thisstrategy in Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 totaledapproximately $10 million.

The U.S. Government was highly engagedon rule of law issues, such as arbitraryarrest and excessive use of force. TheEmbassy raised with the Governmentobjections to the politically motivatednature of the January 5, 2002, arrest ofopposition parliamentarian AzimbekBeknazarov. Embassy officials also metwith Beknazarov supporters wholaunched a hunger strike in Bishkek.

Following the shooting deaths of five pro-testers by security forces on March 17,2002, in Aksy district, the Ambassadorpressed Government officials to ensurethat the perpetrators of the shootings bebrought to justice and to address causesof civil discontent. Following policeharassment and detention of protestersin Bishkek in mid-November, theEmbassy released a public statementexpressing support for Kyrgyz citizens’

constitutional right to freedom of expres-sion. The Ambassador met with theBishkek mayor to urge respect for citi-zens’ right to hold public meetings.

Through participation in theInternational Military Education andTraining (IMET) program, Kyrgyz mili-tary officers were provided with trainingthat reinforced military reform initiativesaimed at creating a more professionaland democratic force.

To promote democracy, the Embassymaintains close contacts with independ-ent and opposition politicians andencourages dialogue between theGovernment, the opposition, and civilsociety. The Ambassador and visitingsenior U.S. government officials meet fre-quently with reform-minded parliamen-tarians and human rights activists tosolicit their views. During a visit toBishkek, Assistant Secretary forDemocracy, Human Rights and LaborLorne Craner and the Ambassador wereable to meet with imprisoned oppositionleader Felix Kulov.

U.S.-funded technical assistance andgrants in the areas of civil society, rule oflaw, and media worked to strengthendemocratic culture among citizens andinstitutions. NGOs who had receivedUSAID-sponsored advocacy traininglaunched a combined advocacy campaignthat exerted pressure on the Governmentto repeal Decree 20. More than 800NGOs and other civil society actors par-ticipated in the campaign. A high schoolcivics textbook developed by U.S. imple-menting partners was used by approxi-mately 170 schools, and more than 7,500students participated in a U.S.-sponsored

civic education course. U.S. implement-ing partners worked with reform-mindedparliamentarians and promoted publichearings as a way to elicit citizens’ viewson new legislation. The U.S. also promot-ed the use of public hearings at the localgovernment level; in FY 2002, 18 localgovernments held a total of 42 publichearings. U.S. funding also supported a$550,000 project creating InformationCenters for Democracy that provide citi-zens with access to independent mediaand infrastructure to host “town-hall”meetings to discuss current politicalissues.

U.S. officials intervened with Kyrgyz gov-ernment officials on numerous occasionsin support of freedom of the press. TheAmbassador met several times with gov-ernment officials to express objections tothe passage in January of “Decree 20,” agovernment regulation that severelyrestricted all forms of publishing. Thedecree was cancelled in May 2002. Whenthe independent newspaper Moya Stolitsawas unable to print from January to Maybecause of a dispute with the state-con-trolled printing house Uchkun, theAmbassador raised this issue severaltimes with the Government. U.S. supportfor media helped independent media out-lets to continue operating.

Following numerous demarches and con-versations with Government officials, theAmbassador gained Government agree-ment to a U.S.-funded project for$800,000 project to establish the coun-try’s first independent printing press.The Media Support Center, the umbrellafoundation that will open and operate thepress as well as sponsor training pro-grams for journalists, was registered with

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the Ministry of Justice on December 30.The first meeting of the internationalboard took place on May 1, and the newlyhired staff has been trained.

The U.S. remained engaged on the issueof freedom of religion. Embassy officialsmaintained regular contacts with repre-sentatives of various religious communi-ties, and the Ambassador hosted an annu-al Iftar dinner for Muslim leaders.

On numerous occasions, Embassy officialsdiscussed with government officials meas-ures to improve the country’s efforts tocombat international trafficking in per-sons. Anti-trafficking was an importantcomponent of the U.S. “InformationInitiative,” and its implementing partnerthe International Organization forMigration (IOM) worked with theGovernment to prepare legislation to pro-vide criminal penalties for traffickers.

The Embassy used public diplomacy fundsto sponsor International Visitor Programsfocused on the issues of trafficking in per-sons, human rights/conflict prevention,and Islam in America. These programsbrought together individuals representingthe Government, non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs), religious commu-nities, and academia, building connec-tions between participants and enhancingskills they could apply in their own organ-izations and communities.

The Embassy-based DemocracyCommission funded 22 grants to localNGOs in support of independent mediaoutlets, journalism training, civic andlegal education in the southern and ruralareas, information dissemination, andseminars on trafficking and extremism.

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One Democracy Commission granteeorganized leadership and critical-think-ing training programs in the remoteBatken region. In rural Talas Oblast, anNGO grantee established an informationresource center on women’s and chil-dren’s issues, land reform, and civicactivism.

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Working to restore stability and long-term peace to Macedonia in the wake ofthe 2001 internal conflict, the U.S.Government provided assistance aimedat supporting the peace treaty that endedthe conflict, the Ohrid FrameworkAgreement (FWA), and at supporting theFWA’s stipulations granting equal rightsfor all of Macedonia’s citizens. Respectfor the human rights of all citizens, butespecially ethnic minorities, as well aspromoting a strong democracy, was a keycomponent of the strategy. USAID’sOffice of Transition Initiatives beganoperations in Skopje in October 2001 anddisbursed $11 million via 450 grants tosupport conflict mitigation at the com-munity level throughout Macedonia.

The Ambassador on several occasionsdelivered demarches to the previousVMRO-DPMNE-led Government ofMacedonia condemning police killings.During VMRO-DPMNE’s tenure in thegoverning coalition (until September2002), both police and the PublicProsecutor continued to inappropriatelydetain and/or arrest ex-combatants of the2001 conflict in violation of the amnestyagreement that helped end the conflictand a subsequent amnesty law passed in2001. On several occasions before the

new Government was elected, theAmbassador demarched the PublicProsecutor, who was replaced after elec-tions, and secured the release of personsarrested in violation of the amnesty law.The Government that took power afterthe September 2002 elections has coop-erated more with the international com-munity regarding human rights policy.

The U.S. Government engaged in directhuman rights advocacy. In August, theAmbassador led a successful internation-al effort to free five ethnic Macedonianswho had been kidnapped by ethnicAlbanian radicals. In July, Embassy offi-cials successfully defused an armedstandoff near the town of Zelino thatthreatened to rekindle hostilities. TheU.S. also provided $120,000 to theInternational Commission on MissingPersons (ICMP) to establish a presence inthe country and to begin working on theissue of missing persons resulting fromthe armed conflict of 2001.

The Embassy worked with theGovernment of Macedonia, withAmerican non-governmental organiza-tions (NGOs) and contractors, and withlocal civil society groups to ensure thatthe constitutional changes mandated bythe FWA passed Parliament and that rel-evant laws on a variety of human rightsissues were subsequently drafted andpassed. Among the laws affected by theFWA were several pertaining to decen-tralization of powers, which put morerights in the hands of citizens. USAIDcontractors provided expert advice toMacedonia’s association of mayors, help-ing them to lobby for their rights to thecentral Government drafters of these newlaws. Expert advisors funded by USAID

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worked via the American BarAssociation’s Central European andEurasian Law Initiative with governmentdrafters to improve the quality of theOmbudsman law — one of the laws affect-ed by the FWA — and ensure that it metinternational standards. They alsoadvised courts on ways to modernizetheir activities and laws. USAID providedthe Court Modernization Project, whichwas implemented by DevelopmentAlternatives, Inc, with $1.65 million.

U.S. funds supported the Organization forSecurity and Cooperation in Europe(OSCE), which in September oversawparliamentary elections that were deemed“free and fair” and were widely consid-ered the best that Macedonia has experi-enced in its ten-year history as an inde-pendent country. The Embassy fielded40 teams to monitor the elections.USAID funded 12 local NGOs to conductnon-partisan voter education and votermotivation activities. The U.S. gave$635,000 to the International RepublicanInstitute (IRI), which worked with a localNGO to conduct the country’s first legiti-mate exit poll, and gave $860,000 to theNational Democratic Institute (NDI),which developed an electoral code of con-duct and obtained signatures and a com-mitment to comply from all political par-ties. Another USAID-funded local NGOconducted a parallel vote count and elec-tion monitoring to boost public confi-dence in the election outcome. Finally,the U.S. Government provided $800,000to the International Foundation forElection Systems (IFES) for an electionreform project and $2.5 million toDemocratic Alternatives, Inc., for a localgovernment reform project.

A national census, called for in the FWA,was carried out in November. ThroughUSAID, the U.S. Bureau of the Censusoffered expert assistance to Macedonia’sState Statistical Office that helped ensurethe most professional and fair census inthe state’s history. The census enumera-tion, which met international standards,was accepted by all significant localgroups. An accurate census will ensuremore democratic elections and less voterfraud.

The U.S. worked to support comprehen-sive and systematic training to improvethe journalistic skills of local media,including efforts to enhance diversity andminority reporting and hiring. Via theInternational Research Exchanges(IREX) Board, the U.S. Government pro-vided $1 million for a Professional MediaProgram and $250,000 for children’seducational, multi-ethnic television pro-gramming. On a parallel track, Embassyofficials regularly distributed informationon human rights to key contacts in themedia, NGOs, think tanks, and otherlocal groups.

The U.S. Government prioritized humanrights as a key policy goal in Macedonia.Several important initiatives directly sup-ported a variety of human rights activi-ties, many in association with theEmbassy’s support for the FWA, but alsoin relation to support for gender equalityand for marginalized minorities such asthe Roma. Nearly 70 percent of theDemocracy Commission program wasdedicated to organizations that activelypromote, develop, and enhance humanrights. Funding was dispersed nation-wide, and rural towns and villagesthroughout the country received priority.

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A Community Self-Help Initiative imple-mented by the Louis Berger Groupreceived $4.3 million, and a DemocracyNetwork Program implemented by theInstitute for Sustainable Communitiesreceived $176,000.

To help improve workers’ rights, the U.S.Government provided $500,000 to allowthe American Center for InternationalLabor Solidarity to implement a laborunion education and outreach program.

U.S. Government anti-trafficking in per-sons efforts addressed various aspects ofthe problem. The Department of Justiceprovided a series of anti-trafficking train-ing sessions that for the first timebrought together public prosecutors andpolice to address common problems. TheU.S. worked with the OSCE on additionaltraining, and via the InternationalOrganization on Migration assisted inoperating a trafficking shelter for victims.The Ambassador successfully lobbied thenew Minister of Interior, elected inSeptember, to move quickly to conduct aseries of raids against Macedonia’s illegalbrothels and to arrest traffickers.

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The Government generally respects thehuman rights of its citizens; however,there are problems in some areas. Thehuman rights record of the separatistauthorities in Transnistria, which theMoldovan government does not control,remains poor. The 2002-2003 U.S.human rights and democracy strategy forMoldova focuses on raising awareness ofhuman rights, fostering democratic elec-tions, supporting an emerging civil socie-ty, and promoting anti-trafficking meas-

ures. U.S. assistance to support thisstrategy in Fiscal Year 2002 totaledapproximately $6 million.

Through interactions with local represen-tatives and officials and funding, U.S.officials worked toward improving pro-tection and awareness of human rights inthe country. The U.S. Government gavegrants for the establishment of a HumanRights Center in Bender, located in theseparatist Transnistria region where thehuman rights situation is worse and thenon-governmental organization (NGO)sector weaker than in the rest ofMoldova, and to the League for theDefense of Human Rights Center forhuman rights training, roundtables, sem-inars, a bulletin, and legal counseling. Italso supported Amnesty InternationalMoldova for seminars to raise students’awareness of human rights and promotetheir participation in public life.

The U.S. Government continues toencourage elections that meet OSCEstandards, both diplomatically and pro-grammatically. In order to promotetransparency and electoral fairness, theEmbassy awarded a Democracy Fundgrant to organize training seminars for 70independent observers to monitor theelection for governor of the autonomousGagauz region in October. The Embassyawarded a discretionary grant to an NGOto organize a conference on “TheElectoral Process and CivicParticipation,” which dealt with issuesrelated to the May 2003 local electionsand funded another NGO with aDemocracy Fund grant to conduct get-out-the-vote activities and poll workertraining. Embassy personnel also

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observed the local election in Gagauzia inOctober 2002 and will participate in theOSCE/ODIHR election observation mis-sion in May 2003.

To foster human rights and democracy,the U.S. Government supported efforts tobuild democratic institutions andaccountability in the country. For exam-ple, USAID’s local government reformprogram supported transparency andaccountability, as well as capacity build-ing, in local government. Public hearingsand outreach were integral parts of localstrategic planning.

The U.S. Government continued to moni-tor religious freedom and to report onthe recent proposed draft Law onReligion.

Trafficking in persons (TIP) has been avery serious problem in Moldova. Thisproblem has begun to receive greaterattention from the Moldovan govern-ment. The U.S. has given considerableattention to this problem and obligated$263,922 in FY 2002 to work withMoldovan authorities and NGOs to reha-bilitate trafficking victims and preventtrafficking. The Ambassador initiated anongoing series of coordination meetingsbetween donor countries and intergov-ernmental organizations, to guaranteethat international efforts are effective andnon-duplicative. The U.S. Governmentfunded a rehabilitation shelter and otherprograms for repatriated trafficking vic-tims that provided medical tests andtreatment, psychological support, lodg-ing, meals, and parental education andjob training. Through a grant to theCenter for the Prevention of Traffickingin Women, the Embassy funded an anti-

trafficking informational campaign, a hot-line for legal and psychological assistance,along with seminars for social workers,prosecutors, police officers, border guards,and customs officials. The Center openeda branch office in Ungheni in July 2002.USAID also completed an anti-traffickingassessment, which led to the design of anew program to prevent trafficking, draw-ing on the experience of existing job cre-ation programs. To assist women vulnera-ble to trafficking, the U.S. Governmentalso funded a program to provide women’sempowerment courses, crisis hotlineassistance, support and training for femaleentrepreneurs, and job skills training andsupport.

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To support Russia’s development of polit-ical, civil, and legal institutions thatrespect human rights and adhere to dem-ocratic procedures, as well as a civil soci-ety that encourages tolerance and facili-tates the free exchange of ideas, the U.S.is working to:

Promote awareness of and respect forhuman rights, religious freedom and tol-erance in Russia through public and quietdiplomacy as well as direct and indirectsupport for non-governmental organiza-tions (NGOs); encourage development ofa fair and impartial judicial and criminaljustice system and fair and professionallaw enforcement bodies through criminaljustice reform, professional training andexchanges; protect citizen’s rights byencouraging implementation of the newCode of Criminal Procedure; develophuman rights educational programs forthe judiciary, military and law enforce-ment; promote anti-trafficking measures;

Promote an open, transparent, and repre-sentative democratic political system inRussia through diplomatic and program-matic support for the formation anddevelopment of democratic attitudes,processes and institutions, including par-ties, citizens’ organizations, and govern-mental institutions; and

Promote the development and function-ing of a vibrant civil society, including anindependent and diverse press and elec-tronic media, widespread access to theInternet, independent citizens’ groups,and labor unions.

U.S. assistance in support of this strategytotaled approximately $40 million inFiscal Year (FY) 2002.

The conflict in Chechnya remains thegravest human rights issue for Russia.The Ambassador and other senior U.S.officials regularly express concern andcontinue their dialogue with Russianpolitical and military leaders and Russianand American NGOs, on the conduct ofthe Russian military in Chechnya. In thisconnection, U.S. officials have stressedthat human rights violations committedby Russian forces in Chechnya need to becurtailed and abusers held accountable,and that the broader conflict in Chechnyacannot be resolved militarily and insteadrequires a political solution. For exam-ple, Under Secretary of State for GlobalAffairs Paula Dobriansky raisedChechnya human rights concerns withDeputy Foreign Minister Fedotov, andthe Ambassador and the DeputyAssistant Secretary for European Affairsraised concerns with Presidential aideYastrzhembskiy this year. To convey ourcontinuing concern, the U.S. voted for the

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EU resolution on Chechnya at the 2003U.N. Commission on Human Rights. TheU.S. pressed the Russians, who did notagree, to extend the mandate of theOrganization for Security andCooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission inChechnya — including its human rightsmonitoring function –- at the end of2002. The U.S., in calling for an end toterrorist acts and violence against civil-ians, has called on the Chechen leader-ship to repudiate terrorism in word anddeed and to cut all ties to Chechen andinternational terrorists.

The U.S. has supported human rightsthrough a variety of technical assistanceprojects. For example, in FYs 2002 and2003, the U.S. supported efforts byRussian human rights activists to builddemand for respect for human rights.The project is funding the collection ofdata on Russian citizens’ attitudestowards democratic practices, a variety ofhuman rights, and various aspects of thewar in Chechnya. The project is alsofunding the training of human rightsactivists in the use of data and othersocial marketing techniques in order tomount public awareness campaigns in theregions on human rights. U.S. FY 2003programs support an increase in the roleand capacity of regional NGOs andhuman rights ombudsmen and commis-sions.

The U.S. provided expert advice to legis-lators, prosecutors, judicial and lawenforcement officials to facilitate thedevelopment and functioning of a mod-ern, independent judiciary and a fair,impartial criminal justice system andprovided training and exchange opportu-nities in FY 2002. The Embassy contin-

ues to monitor and assist in the imple-mentation of the new Criminal ProcedureCode. The 2001 Criminal Procedure Codeis turning the rights promised in Russia’sconstitution into practical law, with arrestand detention authority transferred fromprosecutor to courts on July 1, 2002, andthe defense placed on equal footing withthe state. Phased implementation of thenew Code was supported by U.S.-fundedexpert advice and logistical assistance,and training for judges, prosecutors,attorneys, law enforcement officials, legis-lators, and the remaining 80 regionspreparing for jury trials.

Through participation in InternationalMilitary Education and Training (IMET),Russian military and law enforcementpersonnel were provided with training toobserve the rights of citizens by adheringto the new Code of Criminal Procedureand in human rights awareness. TheRussian Leadership/Open World Programexpands ties in part between the Russianjudiciary, procuracy and defense bar andtheir U.S. counterparts.

USAID implementing partners are train-ing local electoral officials and party pollwatchers for the upcoming 2003 Dumaand 2004 presidential elections. The U.S.supports and closely coordinates with U.S.NGOs, such as the InternationalRepublican Institute and the NationalDemocratic Institute, that are engaged intraining and other development activitieswith Russian political parties and citizensgroups.

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A strong civil society is integral to democ-racy. To assist Russia’s civil society, theU.S. supports thousands of NGOsthrough NGO Resource Centers, directgrants and technical assistance.

The U.S. has been concerned by contin-ued government pressure on the inde-pendent media, an important componentof civil society. The Ambassador andother senior U.S. officials have raisedconcerns about press freedom withRussian government officials on severaloccasions. U.S. programs provide train-ing and exchange opportunities to profes-sional journalists and students, and haveexpanded public access Internet sites.

The Ambassador and other senior U.S.officials maintain a dialogue on ongoingconcerns about freedom of religion andbelief, and on religious and ethnic toler-ance, with Russian government officials,religious denominations, and NGOs thatpromote religious freedom and ethnic tol-erance. The Ambassador and DCM havebeen actively engaged on these issues,highlighting USG concerns about reli-gious freedom, hosting a series of lunchesand receptions, and encouraging GORofficials to meet with visiting delegations.The Embassy actively supported the visitof the U.S. Commission on InternationalReligious Freedom, securing ministerial-level meetings for the Commission dele-gation and facilitating public and mediaoutreach opportunities. The U.S. contin-ues to monitor crucial court cases andvisa issues affecting religious workers.An International Visitor (IV) Programfocused on Islam in America. U.S. offi-cials co-chaired a May 2002 Roundtableon Religious Freedom in Russia andEurasia on the Hill.

To address worker rights concerns, theU.S. supports NGOs active on theseissues through the Solidarity Center,includes trade union and labor officials inIV and other exchange programs, and theEmbassy engages in dialogue with theRussian government on implementationof new Labor Code. When Russian offi-cials denied the Solidarity Center’s long-time Russia director reentry to the coun-try in December, senior U.S. officialsincluding the Ambassador raised her casewith their Russian counterparts, and con-tinued to seek her re-entry in 2003.

Trafficking in persons is a serious prob-lem for Russia. U.S. officials have raisedthis issue with their Russian counter-parts, and the U.S. obligated over $3 mil-lion in FY 2002 in support of anti-traf-ficking projects. These projects targetedprevention, law enforcement and victimassistance. The U.S. also assisted theDUMA legislative working group in itsefforts to draft comprehensive anti-traf-ficking legislation. The U.S. supportsorganizations devoted to the preventionof domestic violence, a major problem inRussia.

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During 2002 and early 2003, the U.S.Government sought to take advantage ofthe improved regional security situationby working with the Government ofTajikistan, as well as international andlocal non-governmental organizations(NGOs), to address a wide range ofhuman rights concerns in the country.The 2002-2003 U.S. human rights anddemocracy strategy for Tajikistan focuseson law enforcement and judicial reform;development, training, and registration of

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opposition political parties; and promo-tion of non-governmental organization(NGO) development and registration. Inaddition, U.S. officials encouragedincreasing media and religious freedomthrough legislative reform and licensingof independent media and registeringreligious communities. They also cooper-ated with the Tajik Government toaddress trafficking in persons and to pre-vent deportation of refugees. U.S.democracy assistance to support thisstrategy in Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 totaledapproximately $5.4 million.

The U.S. Government advocated through-out the year for improvements in thecountry’s law enforcement and judicialsystems, including prisons. Embassyofficials increased engagement with theInterior and Justice Ministries and dis-tributed materials on internationalhuman rights norms. The Embassylaunched several bilateral assistance pro-grams in the areas of nonproliferation,military-to-military assistance, and lawenforcement. At year’s end, U.S. officialssecured Government approval of a Letterof Agreement on International LawEnforcement and Narcotics Control assis-tance, which included binding provisionsregarding accountability for gross viola-tors of human rights and was signed inJanuary 2003.

U.S. officials worked throughout the yearto encourage the Government to increasepolitical freedom. Following U.S. engage-ment, the Ministry of Justice registered anew opposition party at year’s end, thefirst since 1999. Embassy representativesmet regularly with the leadership of allpolitical parties to urge them to partici-pate fully in the political process while

embracing democratic ideals and sentmonitors to observe several parliamen-tary by-elections during the year. InDecember, Parliament held its first-everpublic hearing on a bill, following advoca-cy and liaison work by the U.S.-fundedDushanbe office of the American BarAssociation’s Central European andEurasian Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI).The International Foundation for ElectionSystems (IFES), whose Tajikistan opera-tions are also U.S.-funded, carried outtraining sessions for political parties andtelevised debates as well as a nationalconference in October on internationalelectoral standards that included partici-pants from the parliamentary leadership,the President’s office, the Central ElectionCommission, and political parties. TheU.S. Government urged the President tobe more proactive in fostering publicawareness and more responsive to citi-zens’ requests and problems, such asthrough the visits of four mayors anddeputy mayors to the U.S. as part of anInternational Visitors Program on localpublic administration.

In December 2002 President Rahmonovvisited the U.S. and signed a joint state-ment with President Bush committing tocooperation on economic and politicalreform in Tajikistan, with the aim of morefully integrating it into the global econo-my and raising the standard of living andrespect for human rights. During thisvisit Secretary Powell pressed PresidentRahmonov for further economic andpolitical reforms.

The U.S. supported a wide range of initia-tives to encourage the development ofcivil society. U.S. officials encouraged thesimplification of the registration process

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for NGOs, and the Ministry of Justiceannounced several measures in this vein.In June 2002, the Government workedwith Counterpart International’s USAID-funded Civil Society Support Initiative toorganize a conference recognizing theefforts of NGOs in Tajikistan. TheEmbassy-administered DemocracyCommission Small Grants Program sup-ported a number of NGO projects aimedat fostering dialogue among different seg-ments of society and improving women’sstatus in society, among other goals. U.S.funding supported the opening of anABA/CEELI office in the northern city ofKhojand to provide legal support servic-es.

U.S. officials, including the Ambassadorand a visiting Deputy Assistant Secretaryof State, urged the Government toincrease media freedom through reformof the national media law and licensing ofindependent media outlets. They urgedthe Government to reverse an earlierdecision to deny a license to Dushanbe’sfirst independent radio station, whichsubsequently was licensed along with twoother independent stations. The U.S.provided material assistance to the firststation for a generator to combat electri-cal shortages common in Tajikistan.Other media projects supported throughDemocracy Commission Small Grantsinclude the foundation of an independentnewspaper and the purchase of computerequipment for a journalists’ Internetaccess center. The Embassy also sent atotal of nine journalists to the U.S. onInternational Visitors Programs. TheU.S. Government funded the Tajikistanoperations of the Internews Network,which provided technical and profession-

al training to independent journalists aswell as legal support.

The U.S. Government worked throughoutthe year to encourage religious toleranceand freedom, including regular consulta-tions with the head of the StateCommittee on Religious Affairs (SCRA).Embassy officials urged the Governmentto complete its investigation into themurder of two Dushanbe Baha’is in 2001and another Baha’i in 1999; theGovernment filed charges in these casesin November. The Embassy worked withBaha’i representatives in NorthernTajikistan and the SCRA to resolve theBaha’i community’s local registrationproblems, after which the SCRA inter-vened to secure the registration. TheU.S. Government also supported religioustolerance through an InternationalVisitors Program that sent six prominentrepresentatives from different faiths tothe U.S., where among other places theymet with officials from the StateDepartment’s Office of InternationalReligious Freedom.

Following the country’s designation ashaving a significant problem with regardto trafficking in persons (TIP), the U.S.Government worked with Tajik officialsand international organizations to devel-op a plan of action to address the prob-lem, which contributed to the country’sratification during the year of the UNConvention on Transnational andOrganized Crime (Palermo Convention)and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress andPunish Trafficking in Persons, EspeciallyWomen and Children and to the creationof an interagency commission and anexpert working group on anti-TIP effortsand legislation. After consultations with

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the Ambassador, the President raised theTIP issue at several all-Governmentmeetings, designating it a high-priorityissue. Following these steps, internation-al organizations and international anddomestic NGOs working on the issuenoted an increased level of cooperation inthis area, including the first TIP-relatedprosecutions and convictions in the coun-try.

Embassy officials demarched theGovernment on several occasions follow-ing the deportation of Afghan refugees, inone case coordinating a multilateraldemarche by eight embassies and inter-national organizations in Dushanbe.Embassy officials worked with the UnitedNations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) to encourage the Governmentto prevent deportations and resumeRefugee Status Determination (RSD) pro-cedures to address the documentationproblems that were generally the rootcause of the deportations. TheGovernment resumed RSD procedures inJuly and by year’s end had completed theprocess, with some cases still pendingbased on court appeals.

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Turkmenistan’s human rights recordremains extremely poor; the humanrights situation significantly deterioratedafter an armed attack against PresidentNiyazov’s motorcade on November 25.The Government’s unwillingness toengage on human rights or democracyissues undermined efforts to pursuemacro-level reform initiatives. Becauseavenues for macro-level reform are limit-ed by the Government, the U.S. has pri-marily focused on grassroots efforts to

promote human rights and democracy,working to inculcate future civil society,political and business leaders with uni-versal human rights and democratic val-ues. U.S. assistance to support this strat-egy in Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 totaledapproximately $2.4 million.

The Embassy played a critical humanrights outreach role during the particular-ly difficult period of November-December2002. Embassy officers maintained con-tact with families of those implicated inthe November attack, who were them-selves targets of harassment by theGovernment, and maintained a detailedrecord of violations committed by govern-ment authorities. The Ambassador andother Embassy officers regularly raisedconcerns about abuses committed by gov-ernment authorities, including frequentand forceful interventions with PresidentNiyazov and the Foreign Minister. TheEmbassy also worked closely with othermissions and the United Nations (UN),European Union (EU), and theOrganization for Security andCooperation in Europe (OSCE) on theseissues. The Ambassador worked closelywith the UN leadership, OSCE Chairman-in-Office and other senior officials to crafta unified message on human rights. Shehas used media such as Radio Liberty tounderscore U.S. support for democraticnorms. Active U.S. intervention helpedwin the release of a civil society activist inApril. U.S. leadership on human rightsissues led to passage of an unprecedentedresolution criticizing Turkmenistan at theU.N. Commission on Human Rights.

The Ambassador has met with non-gov-ernmental organizations (NGOs)throughout the country and hosted NGOs

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and civil society activists in December atthe Embassy Residence in honor ofInternational Human Rights Day.Despite a March 2002 commitment fromPresident Niyazov to work with the U.S.Government on the registration andunhindered operation of NGOs, theGovernment failed to follow through onthis priority U.S. goal. Moreover, on theeve of a USAID-supported conference inNovember 2002 on NGO registration, theGovernment rescinded permission to holdthe event at a local hotel. The conferencewas instead held at the Embassy and waswell attended. USAID has a robust civilsociety development program focusing ongrassroots community development andcommunity advocacy. The Embassyawarded 16 small grants totaling$100,000 in 2002, the third year of itsDemocracy Funds program. Projects sup-ported by the Democracy Commissionfocused on civic education, Internetaccess and free flow of information, com-munity self-help, women’s and humanrights issues. Civil Society SupportCenters have been opened in three of thecountry’s five administrative regions toprovide community-based resources.

Training programs are implemented inthe centers to build management capacityand strengthen understanding of theNGO sector’s importance. NGOs thatadvocate and support human rights caus-es are supported by the initiative. In aneffort to prevent conflict and extremism,the Community Action InvestmentProgram (CAIP) was started in the Lebapregion. Communities are brought togeth-er to define common priorities in a par-ticipatory, democratic style; the programprovides partial funding for small com-munity-based projects that emerge fromthis process.

Working with young lawyers and law stu-dents is an important aspect of promot-ing basic rights in Turkmenistan. Underthe auspices of the American BarAssociation’s Central European andEurasian Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI), apublic legal resource center was openedat Turkmenistan State University in 2002to provide basic legal resource materialsfor the general public. A legal clinic willbe added in the near future, giving stu-dents practical experience and providingneeded legal services for Turkmen other-wise unable to afford and/or access them.A successful street law initiative was alsoinaugurated under CEELI auspices in2002. In November 2002, 20 law stu-dents and 10 high school teachers weretrained as street law instructors. Lawstudents and secondary school teachersreceived training on how to educate highschool students about their legal rights tohelp ensure that those rights are respect-ed.

In the interest of fostering independentmedia, journalists from Turkmenistanparticipate in a U.S.-sponsored regionalPH

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program to train journalists to report onhuman rights and assist them in dissemi-nating their reporting. The Ambassadorheld a media roundtable to markInternational Press Freedom Day. Accessto information sources and the Internet isextremely limited in Turkmenistan.Three Internet Access and TrainingProgram (IATP) sites in the cities ofAshgabat and Dashoguz provide trainingand free Internet access for all exchangeprogram alumni. IATP sites represent acritical link to the outside world, offeringvital access to nonofficial sources ofinformation. In 2002 IATP celebratedthe official opening of its second PublicAccess Center at the National Library inAshgabat, Turkmenistan, which recentlyregistered its 900th registered user.IATP opened a new Public Access Centerin Dashoguz later in 2002, in partnershipwith the British Embassy and theDashoguz Youth Organization. The cen-ter has registered over 100 users sinceopening.

The U.S. has also sought to broadenavenues of information dissemination,and exchanges and visitor programs

remain one of the most effective vehiclesto promote human rights and democracy.In 2002 approximately 140 participantstraveled to the U.S. on a broad range ofacademic and exchange programs. In2002, 17 of 30 International VisitorProgram (IVP) participants went to theU.S. on civil society or democracy-relatedprograms; in 2003, plans call for 24 of 30IVP participants to visit the United Statesthrough such programs. The Embassywill also inaugurate a scholarship programfor Turkmen to attend the AmericanUniversity in Kyrgyzstan. In addition, theEmbassy in partnership with theAmerican Council for Collaboration inEducation and Language Study (ACCELS)adopted a plan in 2002 to establishAmerican Corners in three cities inTurkmenistan. The Dashoguz AmericanCorner opened in November 2002,prompting a 37% increase in the numberof people applying for the FLEX second-ary school exchange program. TEA alum-ni have held five methodology trainingseminars at the center for regional teach-ers, more than 150 prospective studentshave received information about studyingin the U.S., and the Center has been desig-nated an Educational Advising Center.

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Despite progress in some areas, Ukrainehas had a poor human rights record inrecent years. Interference by the authori-ties in the electoral process, a weak judi-ciary, and intimidation of the media wereareas of concern. The 2002-2003 U.S.human rights and democracy strategy forUkraine increases emphasis on democra-cy and media freedom, especially in therun-up to the 2004 presidential election.The U.S. strategy addresses these con-cerns through the promotion of the ruleof law, support for free and transparentelections, improved human rights advoca-cy, as well as freedom of the press andassociation, and programs addressing theproblem of trafficking in persons. Theapproach to human rights promotiontaken by the United States incorporatesfinancial and technical assistance to non-governmental bodies and technical assis-tance to governmental bodies, diplomaticadvocacy, extensive reporting and collab-oration with donors and members of theinternational community. TheAmbassador, Embassy officers and seniorU.S. officials meet regularly with relevantofficials to press for respect of Ukrainianlaw and the rights of all citizens. U.S.assistance to support this strategy inFiscal Year (FY) 2002 totaled approxi-mately $19 million.

USAID provided assistance to promotejudicial reform, resulting in the passageof the Law on the Judiciary in February2002. The law paved the way for therestructuring of the court system. AUSAID grant provided legal aid and advo-

cacy to citizens and funded a case flowmanagement system in two local courtsand one oblast court to address the back-log of cases.

U.S. officials raise the importance ofhuman rights in conversations withUkrainian officials at all levels. Thisincludes the importance of holding elec-tions that meet standards of theOrganization for Security andCooperation in Europe (OSCE). High-level U.S. Government officials and pub-lic figures traveled to Ukraine last year tostress the importance of democratic par-liamentary elections, freedom of speechand association, and civil society.

USAID, the Embassy, and United StatesGovernment partners work extensivelywith non-governmental organizations(NGOs), Rada (parliament) members,and the election administrators at thenational and local levels on long andshort-term elections monitoring, voterinformation, and development of soundelection laws and administration. WithUSAID support, Ukraine benefited fromfirst ever civic, long-term pre-electionmonitoring. Without these programs, itis unlikely that the international commu-nity would have noted improvements insuccessive national elections. We alsofinanced exit polling during recent elec-tions, which greatly helped verify the out-come of the balloting. Senior Embassyand Department officials have continuedto repeatedly raise the issue of registra-tion of International Republican Institute(IRI) and the National DemocraticInstitute (NDI) projects supporting politi-cal party development at all levels of theGovernment.

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Through the Democracy CommissionSmall Grants Program and the MediaDevelopment Fund, the Embassy hashelped establish a network of NGOs thatadvocate human rights and media free-doms. The Embassy provided 45 grantsto organizations that monitor and reporton human rights abuses, monitor elec-tions, and help develop the NGO sector.In addition, 14 elections monitoring proj-ects and 121 NGO sector developmentprojects balanced out these programs thathave created an independent voice for cit-izens. Embassy officers have also partici-pated in human rights training seminarsfor military officers.

The Embassy has been a vocal proponentof freedom of speech. In response to gov-ernment attempts to control mediareporting, the Embassy worked withother members of the international com-munity, including the OSCE, to press theGovernment to abide by its internationalobligations. Senior U.S. officials contin-ued to stress the importance of conduct-ing a thorough and transparent investiga-tion into the murder of independent jour-nalists such as Heorhiy Gongadze, andsent a team of FBI experts in homicideinvestigations to try to assist Ukrainianofficials in advancing the investigation.

Unfortunately, Ukrainian law enforce-ment officials asserted that Ukrainian lawprohibits sharing any information that isnot in the public domain and said theywere unable to discuss any aspects of thecase, share evidence or conduct a jointsite investigation. USAID and MediaDevelopment Fund grants are tailored toassist and develop independent media tobecome financially sustainable and reportbalanced news. USAID also funds legalassistance programs for media outlets.

The U.S. provided extensive grants andtraining to civil society organizations(CSOs) in an effort to foster civic activismand promote freedom of association.During 2002, USAID funding providedover 150 grants. With USG help, over1,000 journalists received training andlegal aid over the past year.Consequently, fledgling industry associa-tions have emerged as strong advocates offree speech. A network of U.S.-supportedpro bono legal clinics protected citizens’rights. More than 3,500 clients receivedassistance by the end of 2002, a 20 per-cent increase over 2001.

Religious freedom continues to improve,but some registration difficulties andproperty restitution issues remain. TheU.S. has actively worked with theGovernment of Ukraine to protect reli-gious sites that were neglected or mis-treated during the Soviet era. We havealso actively encouraged the Governmentto return properties and religious edificesto the respective communities and willcontinue to encourage the Ukrainian gov-ernment to pursue its ongoing efforts toreturn properties to all religious commu-nities.

Eliminating trafficking in persons andassisting victims are a priority. USAIDand the Embassy have hosted internation-al conferences that have raised awarenessabout the problem. The U.S. funds anumber of well-respected organizationsthat assist victims of trafficking and workto prevent trafficking through educationalprograms and information hotlines. Wealso financed a variety of domestic vio-lence and anti-trafficking programs. Over52,000 people have consulted the varioushotlines to date. In part due to U.S.

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efforts, the Government has increased itscollaboration with NGOs in anti-traffick-ing programs. The Ombudsman has pub-licly praised the U.S. for its consistentand energetic support of anti-traffickingefforts.

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In 2002 Uzbekistan remained an authori-tarian regime where the primary humanrights and democracy issues were torture,police corruption, and restrictions on theparticipation in civil society. Humanrights and political reform wereaddressed through vigorous bilateral dia-logue, direct government-to-governmenthuman rights training, legal reform assis-tance, assistance to non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs), legal aid assis-tance and active dialogue with humanrights activists and opposition figures.U.S. advocacy resulted in a number ofpositive steps by the Government ofUzbekistan, as well as some improvementin the human rights situation. However,the Government’s failure to addressopenly four deaths in custody in the sum-mer and fall of 2002 and two reporteddeaths in May 2003 was a significantproblem. U.S. government programs tostrengthen human rights NGOs achievedremarkable success in 2002. U.S. assis-tance to support this strategy in FiscalYear (FY) 2002 totaled approximately$10 million.

The U.S. and the Government ofUzbekistan on March 12, 2002, signedthe Declaration of Strategic Partnership,which formalized the close strategic rela-tionship between the U.S. and Uzbekistanthat developed following the events ofSeptember 11, 2001. As a part of the

Declaration, the Government ofUzbekistan explicitly committed itself toinstitutional political reform, includingthe observance of human rights and thepromotion of political pluralism.

The deepening of U.S.-Uzbek strategiccooperation also brought with it a broad-ening of relations. The Ambassador andvisiting senior U.S. Government officialsmet, at various times throughout theyear, with leading officials from theUzbek agencies charged with law enforce-ment issues, including the Ministries ofInterior and Justice, Office of theProsecutor General, and the NationalSecurity Service. Human rights andpolitical reform were almost always onthe agenda.

In addition, numerous U.S. Senators andRepresentatives visited during the year.Most met with President Karimov andhigh-level Uzbek officials. AllCongressional delegations raised humanrights and political reform, and severaldelegations met with local human rightsactivists. The Secretaries of Defense andTreasury and numerous other high-rank-ing executive branch officials visited.Assistant Secretary of State forDemocracy, Human Rights and LaborLorne Craner visited three times duringthe year. Many officials, includingSecretary of State Powell and PresidentBush, met in Washington with Uzbekofficials and raised these issues.President Bush personally raised his con-cerns with President Karimov, as didAssistant Secretary of State for Europeanand Eurasian Affairs Beth Jones.

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quently met with both religious and secu-lar opposition figures. The U.S. funded aproposal for $300,000 by the NationalDemocratic Institute (NDI) to conduct aprogram working with opposition groupsand civil society groups in order toincrease political participation and politi-cal pluralism in Uzbekistan. The U.S. alsoawarded $300,000 to the InternationalRepublican Institute (IRI) to carry outcomplementary political reform work.

In order to strengthen the capacity ofhuman rights groups, the U.S. awardedFreedom House $1.095 million to openoffices in Uzbekistan. Freedom Housetrains human rights defenders and offersresources and a secure meeting place. Asa result, the local human rights communi-ty has become increasingly effective atcoordinating their trial monitoring andother human rights activities. Embassyofficials participate in Freedom House’sbiweekly meetings with local humanrights activists. Begun in late 2002, thesemeetings attract from 15 to 30 partici-pants and provide a highly effective wayfor embassy officers to hear from repre-sentatives of Uzbekistan’s increasinglyactive human rights community. Themeetings draw in activists with whom theembassy previously had little contact, aswell as those with whom they have hadlong and close relations.

The U.S. has addressed issues of religiousfreedom and intolerance by engaging withhigh-level Uzbek officials and by initiatinga number of programs. EmbassyTashkent and officials from Washingtonhave raised on numerous occasions theharassment of minority religions, such asJehovah’s Witnesses and evangelicalchurches, as well as the imprisonment

This intensive and constructive U.S.engagement has been successful in work-ing with the Government of Uzbekistan tobring about positive changes in thehuman rights situation. U.S. efforts werecritical in obtaining the invitation of forthe U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture,the registration of two human rightsgroups, and this year’s amnesty of politi-cal prisoners.

In terms of the problem of widespreadtorture and human rights abuses by lawenforcement personnel, the U.S. providednumerous courses to Uzbek police andsecurity services designed to improve theGovernment’s investigation and prosecu-tion practices, thus lessening its relianceon such dubious forms of evidence ascoerced confessions. Additionally, U.S.officials worked actively with the relevantUzbek executive agencies, judicial author-ities and NGOs on judicial reform. Theseefforts have been designed to create andimplement legislation resulting inincreased judicial independence andgreater respect for human rights norms.

Also in 2002, the U.S. provided$500,000 to the American BarAssociation’s Central European andEurasian Legal Initiative (ABA/CEELI) tocreate a human rights clinical program atTashkent State Law Institute. The pro-gram formally opened in November 2002and began training law students in thefundamentals of international humanrights law and relevant Uzbek law. Thesestudents also operate a Human RightsLegal Aid Clinic that began providing freeconsultations in February.

As part of its efforts to promote democra-cy and political reform, the Embassy fre-

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and torture of numerous Muslims whohave been unfairly accused of extremism.In order to foster greater religious toler-ance, the U.S. sponsored a delegation ofimams on a religion in America programand is using $2.3 million in supplementalmoney to fund a university partnershipprogram in religious studies and anexchange program for community leadersto promote interfaith dialogue.

In order to promote women’s rights, theU.S. funded a Women’s Integrated LegalLiteracy Project implemented by WinrockInternational. Designed to increase pub-lic awareness of women’s legal rightsunder both Uzbek and international law,Winrock worked with NGOs and individ-uals in all regions of Uzbekistan. Theprogram resulted in enhanced NGOadvocacy skills and facilitated coopera-tion between NGOs and local authorities.As of September 30, 2002, 16,805women and 1,785 men had participatedin the program’s training sessions.

In 2002, the Embassy’s DemocracyCommission awarded a total of $166,000to local NGOs for 28 projects focusing ondemocratization, human rights, inde-pendent press, civil society and otherissues the Commission felt served thebroader purpose of advancing politicalreform and human rights. Several of thebest known Uzbek human rights groupsrelied on these funds to compile research,travel within the country, and pay foroperating expenses. The first UzbekNGO solely dedicated to studying theproblem of trafficking in persons and toaiding victims received a start up grant.