Feature of the Month: December 2006

"By standing with those who desire liberty, we will help extend freedom to many who have not known it and lay the foundations of peace for generations to come." President George W. Bush

Human Rights: A Cornerstone of the United States, and of U.S. Foreign Policy

December 10 is celebrated worldwide as Human Rights Day. In commemoration of President Bush's proclamation of December 10, Human Rights Day, and in recognition of Human Rights Week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced three new initiatives advancing U.S. Government efforts on democracy and human rights and responding to a global trend of government crackdowns on non-governmental organizations and human rights defenders.
These initiatives include a Global Human Rights Defenders Fund, NGO Principles, and two annual Freedom Awards.

A History of Human Rights Day
President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed December 10 as Human Rights Day, in honor of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948, by the United Nations General Assembly. Since that day the world order has been reshaped by these powerful concepts. Inspired by this Declaration, people throughout the world have embraced the principles of democracy, human rights and religious freedom. The adoption of these values have contributed largely to a freer, more prosperous, and stable global arena. A community of free nations has joined together in promoting these values; together we have built a stronger, more prosperous world.

More information:

President Bush's Human Rights Day Proclamation - http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/prsrl/77765.htm

Human Rights Page http://www.state.gov/g/drl/hr/

Human Rights Week http://www.state.gov/g/drl/hr/c20063.ht
International Human Rights Week Initiatives

Human Rights: A Cornerstone of U.S. Foreign Policy http://www.state.gov/r/pa/scp/2005/57817.htm
Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2005-2006
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/shrd/2005/
Excerpt from above report on Serbia, in English and Serbian http://belgrade.usembassy.gov/policy/reports/060407.html
Other related reports http://belgrade.usembassy.gov/policy/reports.html

Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2005 – 2006

Serbia
In Serbia, the Government generally respected the human rights of its citizens and continued efforts to address human rights violations throughout 2005, but numerous problems from previous years persisted. Government attention to police abuses increased, but incidents of police violence and misconduct continued. There were cases of arbitrary arrest and selective enforcement of the law for political purposes. The judiciary remained marred by corruption and inefficiency, and the judicial process continued to be lengthy. The Government at times impeded freedom of the press and harassed journalists as well as NGO workers. Societal violence and discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities continued. Two of ICTY’s most wanted war crimes suspects, Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, remained at large in the region. Trafficking in persons (TIP) and violence against women and children persisted.

During 2005, the United States trained and directly engaged Serbian party leaders by building the capacity of democratic parties to serve and represent citizens, formulate and implement reform agendas, move toward issue-based political dialogue, and mount fair and transparent election campaigns. The United States also provided technical assistance and training to build the capacity, accountability, and transparency of municipal governments. U.S. officials also urged central government officials to promote greater decentralization in order to foster more participatory and representative democracy.

The United States provided training, technical assistance, exchanges, and grant support to increase media professionalism and competitiveness. In 2005, the United States supported the production of documentaries and reports on topics such as transitional justice. The United States also actively engaged the new Broadcast Council to ensure fairness and media freedom in determining media licensing and assignment of frequencies.

The United States actively supported the continued development of a vibrant civil society by working closely with a variety of NGOs to increase institutional effectiveness and sustainability. U.S. grants supported NGO educational programs on transitional justice and local NGOs working to promote civic awareness, government transparency, and economic and social reform.

The United States assisted in building the rule of law and domestic capacity to try war crimes in Serbia through training programs focused on improving the professional capacity of the police, prosecutors, and judges who oversee war crimes cases. The programs contributed to the establishment of a victim/witness protection unit and helped the Government draft a witness protection law. A U.S.-organized trial monitoring program for war crimes cases helped identify and resolve legal and technical issues that arose during such trials. The United States provided training and technical assistance to magistrates, judges, prosecutors, law schools, and associations of young lawyers to promote a more independent, transparent, and efficient judicial system. The United States contributed to the development of associations for magistrates, judges, and prosecutors. Visitor exchanges also proved to be an invaluable tool for educating government and judicial officials about the U.S. judicial system and methods of judicial reform.

The United States pressed the Serbian Government to prevent and respond appropriately to attacks against ethnic minorities, increase ethnic tolerance, and promote reconciliation within society. The United States supported a university campaign designed to increase tolerance and inter-ethnic dialogue and funded exchange visits focused on managing diversity in a multiethnic society and minority political participation. U.S. efforts to safeguard and promote the rights of ethnic minorities also promoted the rights of religious minorities associated with those ethnic groups. The United States routinely met with government officials to urge revisions to a draft religion law that favors some religions over others.

In 2005, the United States trained and equipped police, prosecutors, and judges and funded a TIP victims’ shelter through the IOM. The United States also helped establish a government agency to coordinate assistance to trafficking victims and funded workshops and public awareness campaigns.

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