50
Concerns in Europe: January - June 2001
AI Index: EUR 01/003/2001
Amnesty International September 2001
Arrests of supporters of banned Islamic groups
AI remained concerned about the growing number of
arrests of suspected members of Hizb-ut-Tahrir and
other illegal Islamic organizations in the first half of
the year. Kyrgyz authorities clamped down on
supporters of banned Islamist opposition parties
following armed incursions into Kyrgyzstan in August
1999 and 2000 by members of the banned Islamic
Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). According to
unofficial sources at least 40 members of Hizb-ut-
Tahrir were reportedly convicted and given prison
terms in 2000 on charges of distributing leaflets and
inciting national, racial or religious intolerance. At
least the same number of Hizb-ut-Tahrir supporters
have reportedly been arrested and convicted during
the first six months of 2001. The majority of the
arrests were reported to have taken place in the Osh
and Jalal-Abad regions and the majority of those
detained to have been ethnic Uzbeks. Relatives of
those arrested have alleged that they were targeted by
the Kyrgyz authorities because of their ethnic origin.
Death penalty
On 22 June the military court of Batken garrison
sentenced two members of the IMU to death. 21-year-
old Ruslan Abdulin, an ethnic Bashkir from Kurgan
Region in the Russian Federation, and 23-year-old
Ravshan Sharipov, from Sogdh Region (formerly
Leninabad) in Tajikistan, were captured by Kyrgyz
troops during military operations against IMU
detachments in Batken Region in August 2000. They
were accused of being mercenaries and were charged
among other offences with terrorism, hostage taking,
banditry and premeditated murder, the only charge to
carry a potential death sentence. Unofficial sources
reported that although the prosecution had failed to
provide evidence that Ruslan Abdulin and Ravshan
Sharipov had themselves killed any Kyrgyz soldiers,
as members of the IMU they were nevertheless held
responsible for murders committed by their
organization. They were also accused of having taken
four mountain climbers from the United States of
America hostage in August 2000. The climbers
escaped their captors after reportedly pushing one of
their guards over a cliff.
L A T V I A
Conscientious objection
(update to AI Index: EUR 01/01/00, EUR 01/03/00 and
EUR 01/001/2001)
AI learned of a decision of the Latvian authorities to
take steps to introduce a civilian alternative to military
service in Latvia. In the past AI has repeatedly
expressed concern about the absence of a genuinely
civilian alternative to military service and about a
number of conscientious objectors who have faced
possible prosecution for their refusal to serve in the
Latvian army.
AI was informed that on 10 August 2000 the
Latvian Ministry of Defence announced that it was
prepared to exempt conscientious objectors from
military service, reportedly recognizing the fact that
the right to conscientious objection is guaranteed by
the Latvian constitution. By a decree of the Prime
Minister, Andris Berzins, on 18 October 2000 a
working group was reportedly established to prepare
the draft law required to introduce an alternative
civilian service. The working group reportedly
initiated discussions with various affected parties. The
beginning of May 2001 was set as a deadline for the
working group and for Minister of Defence Grits
Kristovskis to submit the draft law to the Latvian
government, the Cabinet of Ministers, who would
ultimately accept or reject the draft law. AI learned
that it was submitted by the Minister of Defence, Grits
Kristovskis, on 12 June, only to be temporarily
returned due to the non-observance of certain
procedural regulations. If the Cabinet of Ministers
accepts the draft law it will be submitted to the Latvian
parliament, the Saeima, for approval later in August.
While AI has welcomed the decision to take
definite steps to introduce a civilian service to military
service, the organization has also learned that in its
present form the draft law is reportedly punitive in
length. Conscientious objectors to military service
would be forced to undertake an alternative service of
two years in length, which is twice as long as military
service. Conscientious objectors with graduate
qualifications would serve 18 months. In order for any
alternative service to be genuine it must be of purely
civilian character, under civilian control and non-
punitive in length. AI would consider anyone
imprisoned for refusing to undertake an alternative
service punitive in length for reasons of conscience as
a prisoner of conscience.
National human rights institutions
In February the Latvian National Human Rights
Office published its annual report for year 2000,
which highlighted a number of concerns relating to the
protection and promotion of human rights in the
country. The officially stated functions of this state
sponsored ombudsman-type body are to review
individual complaints of human rights violations,
analyse existing legislation and promote human rights
education in Latvian society. Two recurring concerns
expressed in the report, which had been documented
in past reports, included conditions in short-term
police detention centres, which frequently fell below
the standards of the Council of Europe and amounted
to "inhumane treatment" and were "degrading for
human dignity". In addition, the office believed that
prolonged periods in pre-trial detention violated the
right to a trial within a reasonable time and had
resulted in a number of individual complaints being
made to the European Court of Human Rights.
M A C E D O N I A,
FORMER YUGOSLAV