2009 Annual Report

2009 Eurasia Program Highlights

In 2009, civil society in most of Eurasia suffered under increasingly authoritarian governments, continuing a decade-long trend of regression of freedom across Eurasia. Moscow undercut reform in the region and expanded its influence over the former Soviet space. But the region’s backsliding regimes hardly needed Russian help. They, and Russia itself, have proved increasingly adept at curbing fundamental freedoms and marginalizing civil society within their own borders by stifling and repressing nongovernmental organizations and independent media.

The year marked the continuation of tried and true measures used against civil society, including onerous regulatory barriers, arbitrary denials of registration, intrusive inspections, suffocating financial controls, hostile rhetoric, and restrictive NGO and media laws. Several new backlash “innovations” were unveiled, including the use of forced military conscription to isolate and punish young male activists in Belarus, and the imprisonment of bloggers to intimidate new media in Azerbaijan.

But the most troubling development was the dramatic rise in violence used against activists. The year saw an alarming number of cases of killings, beatings, arrests, criminal suits, detentions, coercion and other forms of state oppression across the region, as well as a growing number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Russia continued to be a leader in this dubious category. The country witnessed a shocking amount of violence, both in regions like the North Caucasus, where murders and kidnappings rose to record levels, and against individuals like human rights activists Stanislav Markelov and Natalia Estemirova, and journalist Anastasia Baburova, who investigated the carnage. NED responded with an increased focus on human rights.

In the volatile North Caucasus, the NGO Mashr examined kidnappings and extra-judicial violence, attempting to rescue victims where possible. The Committee against Torture provided legal aid. And the “Za Prava Cheloveka” (For Human Rights) Movement monitored cases of torture and murder by Russia’s law enforcement agencies. Media organizations such as Memo.ru and the Russian Union of Journalists probed and publicized violence against citizens and civil society in the North Caucasus and elsewhere. In Russia, NED also assisted groups working on prisoner’s rights, draftees’ rights, human rights monitoring, labor rights, human rights education, and freedom of information.

In Central Asia, the environment for civil society also worsened. Democratic activists continued to be targeted for their work and dozens remain in prison. The downward spiral was particularly pronounced in Kyrgyzstan, where seven violent attacks on independent journalists and numerous arrests of opposition leaders took place. Kazakhstan failed to carry out the reforms it had promised in order to gain the 2010 chairmanship of OSCE. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan remained among the world’s most repressive states. As a result, NED expanded support to groups fostering human rights and bolstering NGOs and independent media.

Programs in Tajikistan fostered new approaches to defending human rights. The “Amparo” Young Lawyers’ Association supported the rights of draftees, the Human Rights Center monitored courtroom proceedings and trained judges, and the Republican Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law published articles about human rights abuses. Despite the oppressive conditions, NED continued to support organizations in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan that monitored, addressed and publicized human rights violations. Regional programs for Central Asia also assisted human rights organizations, including several in the Fergana Valley, and independent sources of information on the region.

There were no improvements in the situation in the South Caucasus. In comparison with Central Asia, however, the less onerous environment made it possible for NED to assist more organizations promoting freedom of expression and democratic values, especially through new media tools. In Armenia, the independent channel A1+ TV won its case in the European Court, requiring the government to reinstate its frequency and broadcast license. Until that happens, NED is assisting the company’s webpage, which is Armenia’s leading online news resource. The Investigative Journalists NGO expanded its popular website Heqt to include more features, including two blogs aimed at youth.

Human rights also remained a priority in Azerbaijan. The “Legal Help” Public Association provided its expertise to victims of human rights violations. Other groups received assistance for programs on women’s rights, electoral and voters’ rights, human rights training, and freedom of information. With the imprisonment of award-winning bloggers Adnan Hadji-zadeh and Emin Melli, greater attention was devoted to freedom of expression. The Institute for Reporter Freedom and Safety monitored and advocated for press freedom, and the Internews Azerbaijan Public Association used its website to document cases of media abuses.

The 2008 conflict with Russia was a further setback to Georgia’s democratic transition. As a result, NED continued to assist groups such as the Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights, which conducted standard human rights monitoring and reporting, and to help other NGOs using more innovative methods. These included the Human Rights Center, which produced and disseminated four short documentary films on human rights. In 2009, the Endowment also expanded support for independent media in Georgia.

There were setbacks in Belarus, including the repression of youth activists, a restrictive media law, and the suicide of a young human rights activist due to police pressure. However, the country’s economic downturn pushed the Lukashenka regime to seek better relations with Europe and allow a limited liberalization at home. Endowment support helped groups to take advantage of the thaw and boost civic activities.

Strong support went to non-state media; results were most visible in internet-based new media, where independent websites outperformed those of the regime in quality and readership. Five of the top 15 news websites in the country are NED grantees. NED support also strengthened new political blocs and parties, and conducted issue-based campaigns to educate citizens prior to the April 2010 local elections.

The bright spot in the region was Ukraine. Despite one of the world’s most severe economic crises, pressure from Russia, entrenched corruption and deep divisions in its governing elite, the country remained committed to constitutionalism, democratic processes, and open political discourse. Human rights remained a focus in 2009, with a greater emphasis on promoting government accountability. As with many of NED’s Ukraine programs, this meant concentrating on the eastern and southern parts of the country, where civil society remains less developed. A second focus was helping NGOs to educate citizens, mobilize voters and monitor the polls for the 2010 presidential elections. In addition, NED support is helping Ukraine to be a conduit for transferring experiences, best practices, assistance and support to the embattled civil society of Eurasia.

With the decline in freedom across Eurasia, this crossborder assistance took on greater significance. In 2009, NED increased support for this type of program; 23 organizations from Central and Eastern Europe worked with counterparts in 11 Eurasian countries on more than 40 joint projects. The crossborder programs targeted difficult places in which to work, such as Kaliningrad, Chechnya, North Ossetia-Alana, Ingushetia, Transnistria and the Fergana Valley. A majority focused on improving the capacity of Eurasian organizations to produce independent publications and websites. NED also supported a major conference in Ukraine to strengthen crossborder cooperation in the backsliding states of the post-Soviet space.