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Bilanz der Heuchler
Von Hillary Clinton vorgelegter US-Menschenrechtsbericht stößt weltweit auf Empörung. Erklärungen aus Chile, Venezuela, Bolivien und China
Von André Scheer *
»Ich werde meine eigenen Energien auf das Thema der Menschenrechte fokussieren, und wie viele andere werde ich mich ebenso bei traditionellen wie nichttraditionellen Herausforderungen engagieren«, sagte US-Außenministerin Hillary Clinton am vergangenen Mittwoch (25. Feb.) in Washington bei der Vorstellung eines Menschenrechtsberichts, in dem jedes Land der Erde von der US-Administration dahingehend bewertet wird, ob es den nordamerikanischen Vorgaben folgt. In den Hauptstädten Lateinamerikas und anderer Regionen der Welt wurden die Äußerungen Clintons und der Bericht selbst als eine Drohung und eine Anmaßung der nordamerikanischen Supermacht verstanden.
Sogar die chilenische Regierung, die von den USA und der Europäischen Union ansonsten wegen ihrer »gemäßigten« Haltung hofiert wird, reagierte empört auf den Beschwerdekatalog aus Washington, in dem der Regierung von Michelle Bachelet unter anderem Gewalt gegen Frauen sowie die Überbelegung der Gefängnisse vorgehalten wird. Regierungssprecher Francisco Vidal räumte zwar ein, daß die Zustände in den chilenischen Gefängnissen nicht gut sind, »aber wenigstens gibt es nichts, was Guantánamo ähnelt«. Mit Blick auf das US-Gefangenenlager fuhr Vidal fort: »In Chile haben wir kein Guantánamo, denn in einer Demokratie gibt es keine Guantánamos«.
Lesen Sie auch:
"We are working to ensure that the human rights are protected and respected" / Wir arbeiten daran, dass die Menschenrechte überall in der Welt respektiert und geschützt werden"2008 Human Rights Report: Introduction / Menschenrechtsbericht 2008 des US-Außenministeriums: Zusammenfassende Einleitung (englisch)
Das venezolanische Außenministerium in Caracas reagierte mit einer offiziellen Erklärung auf die vom State Department erhobenen Vorwürfe und verurteilte sie als eine erneute Einmischung der USA in die inneren Angelegenheiten Venezuelas. Es könne nicht sein, so das von Nicolás Maduro geleitete Ministerium weiter, daß sich die USA anmaßen, die Menschenrechtslage überall auf der Welt zu bewerten: »Die venezolanische Regierung hält diese übliche Praxis der US-Bürokratie für unzulässig, wonach Funktionäre im Dienste des Staates, der den dunklen Rekord an Verletzungen der menschlichen Würde in jüngster Zeit hält, sich ohne irgendein Mandat oder irgendeine Legitimität zu Richtern über andere Staaten aufschwingen wollen.« In dem US-Bericht wird Venezuela u. a. die angebliche Einschränkung der Pressefreiheit, eine Politisierung der Justiz und andere Verletzungen der Menschenrechte vorgeworfen.
Auch Bolivien kritisiert eine deutliche »Schieflage« in dem Bericht aus Washington. Für Vizeminister Sacha Llorenti stellt der Bericht eine »politisch gewollte grobe Vereinfachung der nationalen Realität dar«. Mit Blick auf die vom State Department kritisierten Übergriffe der Sicherheitsorgane, willkürlichen Verhaftungen und Angriffe auf die Justiz durch die Regierung sagte Llorenti, wer über solche Themen spreche sollte zunächst über »genügend moralische Überzeugung« verfügen. Er erinnerte daran, daß Washington noch immer die Auslieferung des früheren bolivianischen Präsidenten Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada verweigert, dem wegen der blutigen Niederschlagung von Bauernprotesten im Herbst 2003 der Prozeß gemacht werden soll.
Auch die chinesische Regierung kritisierte die Veröffentlichung des Berichts. Die USA seien nicht »die Wächter der Menschenrechte«. Der Sprecher des Außenministeriums in Beijing, Ma Zhaoxu, forderte die Vereinigten Staaten auf, sich um ihre eigenen Probleme mit den Menschenrechten zu kümmern.
Unterdessen wurden Klagen laut, daß sich die Lage im US-Gefangenenlager Guantánamo seit dem Amtsantritt von Barack Obama eher verschlechtert habe. Der venezolanische Rundfunksender YVKE Mundial zitiert Ahmed Ghappour, einen Verteidiger von in dem Lager Inhaftierten, mit den Worten, die Mißhandlungen von Gefangenen durch die Wärter nehme seit dem Regierungswechsel in Washington ständig zu.
* Aus: junge Welt, 28. Februar 2009
Pressekonferenz zur Vorstellung des Menschenrechts-Reports 2008
Am 25. Februar 2008 wurde in Washington in einer Pressekonferenz des US-Außenministeriums der Jahresbericht 2008 zur Menschenrechtssituation in der Welt vorgestellt. Zunächst sprach Hillary Clinton, verließ danach die Konferenz und überließ ihrer Referentin für Menschenrechtsfragen, Karen Stewart, den weiteren Verlauf. Karen Stewart führte ihrerseits in das Thema ein und beantwortete im Anschluss eine Reihe von Fragen von Journalisten.Wir dokumentieren im Folgenden die Eingangsstatements von Hillary Clinton und Karen Stewart, verzichten auf das Frage-Antwort-Spiel, weil die Antworten alle sehr ausweichend waren.
The State Department's 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of StateFebruary 25, 2009
SECRETARY CLINTON: I apologize for being a little late. This is such an important event in the annual calendar of the State Department.
You know, human progress depends on the human spirit, and this inescapable truth has never been more apparent than it is today. The challenges of this new century require us to summon the full range of human talents to move our nation and the world forward. Guaranteeing the right of every man, woman and child to participate fully in society and to live up to his or her God-given potential is an ideal that has animated our nation since its founding.
It is enshrined also in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and was reflected in President Obama’s Inaugural Address when he reminded us that every generation must carry forward the belief that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
Our foreign policy must also advance these timeless values which empower people to speak, think, worship and assemble freely, to lead their work and family lives with dignity, and to know that dreams of a brighter future are within their reach. Now, the promotion of human rights is essential to our foreign policy, but as a personal aside, I have worked for many years and in various capacities on the issues that are encompassed under the rubric: human rights. It is of profound importance to me and has informed my views and shaped my beliefs in ways large and small.
As Secretary of State, I will continue to focus my own energies on human rights, and I will engage as many others as I can to join me, both through traditional and untraditional challenges. I am looking for results. I am looking for changes that actually improve the lives of the greatest numbers of people. Hopefully, we will be judged over time by successful results from these efforts.
To begin, not only will we seek to live up to our ideals on American soil; we will pursue greater respect for human rights as we engage other nations and peoples around the world. Now, some of our work will be conducted in government meetings and official dialogues. That’s important to advancing our cause. But I believe strongly we must rely on more than one approach as we strive to overcome tyranny and subjugation that weakens the human spirit, limits human possibility, and undermines human progress. We will make this a global effort that reaches beyond governments alone. I intend for us to work with nongovernmental organizations, businesses, religious leaders, schools and universities as well as individual citizens, all of whom can play a vital role in creating a world where human rights are accepted, respected, and protected.
Our commitment to human rights is driven by our faith and our moral values, and by our belief that America must first be an exemplar of our own ideals. But we also know that our security and prosperity and progress is enhanced when people in other places emerge from the shadows to gain the opportunities and rights that we enjoy and treasure.
It is now my pleasure to bring to the podium Karen Stewart, Acting Assistant Director* for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, who will present the report and take your questions. Karen?
Thank you. Thank you all very much.
Special Briefing
Karen Stewart, Acting Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and LaborRemarks at the Release of the 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
February 25, 2009
ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY STEWART: Good afternoon. I am Karen Stewart, Acting Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Let me say a few words here at the beginning about the production of the reports and make some brief observations about their content. These congressionally mandated annual reports were delivered to Congress earlier today, and they will be posted on our State Department website after this briefing.
Officers at our overseas posts go to great lengths to gather factual information for these reports. Here at the Department of State, we owe special thanks to Stephen Eisenbraun, who coordinates the production of the reports in my bureau, to dozens of dedicated officers throughout my bureau of DRL, as well as in bureaus throughout the Department, all of whom have worked hard over many weeks to ensure that these reports meet high standards of accuracy and objectivity.
The reports themselves are based on information that we have received from governments, multilateral institutions, from national and international nongovernmental groups, and from academics, jurists, religious groups and the media. They have gone through a lengthy process of checking and cross-checking. As we present these reports, the Department of State remains mindful of the both international and domestic scrutiny of our own human rights record.
President Obama has made it clear that we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. We do not consider views about our performance voiced by others in the international community, whether by other governments or nongovernmental actors, to be interference in our internal affairs, nor should other governments regard expressions about their performance as such. We and all other sovereign nations have international obligations to respect the universal human rights and freedoms of our citizens. And it is the responsibility of others to speak out when they believe those obligations are not being fulfilled.
Since the days of our own nation’s founding, we have endeavored to correct injustices and fully promote respect for fundamental freedoms for all of our citizens. These efforts have been spurred and are sustained by an accountable democratic system of government, the rule of law, a vibrant free media, and most important of all, the civic activism of our citizenry.
The U.S. Government will continue to hear and reply forthrightly to concerns about our own practices. We will continue to submit reports to international bodies, in accordance with our obligations under various human rights treaties to which we are a party.
Now, in the introduction to these reports, readers will find overviews highlighting key trends in each geographic region. Each of the regional overviews is followed by thumbnail sketches of selected countries, ordered alphabetically, but were chosen for notable developments – positive, negative or mixed – that were chronicled during calendar year 2008.
For the more comprehensive, detailed information, we refer you to each of the individual country reports. I wish to emphasize that the country-specific reports cover calendar year 2008 only. Relevant developments that have taken place since December 31, 2008 will be covered in next year’s reports.
Each country’s report speaks for itself. However, some broad cross-cutting observations can be drawn. One, in 2008, pushback against demands for greater personal and political freedom continued in many countries across the globe. A disturbing number of countries leveled burdensome, restrictive or repressive laws and regulations against nongovernmental organizations and the media, including the internet. Many courageous human rights defenders who peacefully pressed for their own rights and those of their fellow countrymen and women were harassed, threatened, arrested and imprisoned, killed, or subjected to violent other extrajudicial means of reprisal.
Two, human rights abuses remain a symptom of deeper dysfunctions within political systems. The most serious human rights abuses tended to occur in countries where unaccountable rulers wielded unchecked power or there was government failure or collapse, often exacerbated or caused by internal or external conflict.
And three, healthy political systems are far more likely to respect human rights. Countries in which human rights were most protected and respected were characterized by the following electoral, institutional and societal elements: free and fair electoral processes that include not only a clean casting and honest counting of ballots on election day, but also a run-up to the voting that allows real competition and full respect for the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association; representative, accountable, transparent democratic institutions of government, including independent judiciaries under the rule of law to ensure that leaders who win elections democratically also govern democratically and are responsive to the will and needs of the people; and vibrant societies, including independent nongovernmental organizations and free media. While governments bear the ultimate responsibility for living up to their commitments under international law, the work of individuals, civil society groups and independent media in advancing human rights is vital to the expansion of freedom.
To be sure, even in countries where these elements are present, human rights abuses at times occurred – democratic elections can be marred with irregularities; there can be abuses of power and miscarriages of justice. States having weak institutions of democratic government and struggling economies can fall far short of meeting the needs and expectations of their people for a better life. Corruption can undermine public trust, and long-marginalized segments of populations of some countries have yet to enjoy full participation in the life of their nations.
Insecurity due to internal and/or cross-border conflict can hinder respect for and retard progress in human rights. But when the electoral, institutional and societal elements described above obtain, the prospects are far greater for problems to be addressed, for correctives to be applied, and improvements to be made.
Taken together, the three trends we noted – the growing worldwide demand for greater personal and political freedom, governmental efforts to push back on those freedoms and further confirmation that human rights flourish best in participatory democracies with vibrant civil societies confirm the continuing need for vigorous United States diplomacy to speak out and act against human rights abuses, at the same time that our country carefully reviews its own performance. These trends further confirm the need to combine diplomacy with creative strategies that can help to develop healthy political systems and support civil society.
December 10th of 2008 marked the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly. In the decades since the declaration’s adoption, there have been remarkable gains on every continent for the rights it enumerates. Still, 60 years later, hundreds of millions of people are denied fundamental freedoms by their governments.
The United States is a country founded on human rights and the rule of law. In publishing these reports, we seek to be a source of information, hope, and help to people everywhere who are oppressed, silenced, and marginalized. We are committed to working at all levels – national, regional, and global – to ensure the human rights enshrined in the universal declaration are protected and respected. (...)
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