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Publications >> Democracy Newsletter
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| National Endowment for Democracy News and Information Issue 2 2006 |
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Memory and Accountability in Iran On January 20, 2006, the stories of some 10,000 Iranian victims of political violence were enshrined in a new "virtual memorial" known as Omid (which translates as hope in Persian). An interactive database available in both English and Persian, the goal of Omid is to help restore the dignity of Iran's countless victims of human rights violations. On March 15, 2006, Ladan and Roya Boroumand, Iranian sisters and the creators of Omid, (www.abfiran.org), described their project, its inspiration and its initial impact to a full house at NED. The discussion, which focused on the importance of memory and accountability to any potential political reform or democratic transition in Iran, was moderated by NED Board member Francis Fukuyama, and included commentary by Azar Nafisi, best-selling author of Reading Lolita in Tehran, and Washington Post columnist Anne Applebaum, author of the Pulitzer prize winning Gulag: A History.
Omid is the first major project of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation, founded in 2001 by the Boroumand sisters, both Ph.D. historians who are also the daughters of an Iranian democratic reformer who was himself a victim of assassination. The foundation seeks to ensure that human rights in Iran are promoted and protected without discrimination on the basis of one's gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin. Guided by the belief that unremedied human rights violations are a major obstacle to the establishment of a stable democracy, the Foundation is committed to the right of all victims of human rights abuses to justice and public recognition. The sisters created the website to document more than 25 years of political persecution and extrajudicial killings by the Iranian government. The memoirs depict victims' resolve and strength in the face of fraudulent trials, cruel and unusual punishment in the forms of torture and unexplained disappearances, and in many cases, brutal executions. By thrusting individual atrocities into the public light, they hope that this website will promote truth and reconciliation as essential components of Iran's transition toward democracy. The online memorial lists, in English and in Farsi, victims executed or eliminated by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Users of the website can click on a link to get a page that has been designed especially for the victim, with pictures when available, and details personalizing him or her, including gender, age, education, and religion. Each case has a section on due process. Impressively, the largest group of visitors to the website are Iranians. The website has not yet been banned by the Iranian government, and a high volume of name searches in Farsi stands as evidence that Iranians have become comfortable with accessing the website. Many younger Iranians are now discovering a collective memory through the entries on file. The database is still a work in progress; translations in Farsi are time consuming, leaving some online collections empty. The sisters, however, expressed great plans for the future, and they promised to translate a story on the censored demonstration of women that took place in Iran on March 8, 2006. Fukuyama commended the Boroumands on the striking depth with which they researched each victim. Panelists agreed that the best information for the archive will come from non-political Iranians, though making contact with ordinary citizens is often difficult or even dangerous. Nevertheless, Iranians who are willing to speak candidly about their relatives and friends who were killed by the regime have contacted the Boroumands and provided additional information about their cases. In contrast to the reality of contemporary Iran, Omid is described as "another Iran, an imaginary Iran: a democratic polity, pluralistic and diverse, where citizens posthumously enjoy their human rights." Panelist Azar Nafisi emphasized that the website serves as a reminder of the shame that belongs to us all. Not only do the shared experiences bind Iranians together, but the website has also extended a sense of understanding across cultures. The sharing of memories becomes a sharing of our common humanity. In determining the basis of a government, Nafisi reminded the audience that the absences are often more significant than the presences. While elections take place quite visibly, behind the scenes the Iranian regime continues to silence dissent-and to silence the past. The entries in Omid reveal the nature of the regime's atrocities: a prostitute stoned to death, 126 recorded murders of girls under the age of eighteen, and a writer whose wife and daughter never saw him alive again after leaving for work one winter morning. Nonetheless, Roya Boroumand made clear that her intention is not for a response of anger and revenge, but to advance human rights. Due process should become a focal point for activists as a mechanism for democratization, and while the language of human rights is better known today than it was in the 1970s, those seeking to increase due process still face an uphill battle. In their concluding comments, the panelists pressed the need for an official and thorough investigation of Iranian victims of political violence. According to Applebaum, truth and reconciliation commissions around the world have conducted research similar to the work that has been initiated by Omid; any successful effort in Iran would require access to relatives, prison records, and publications in order to produce a complete archive. One thing is certain: Omid has already made great strides in its attempt to unveil the extrajudicial atrocities ommitted against dissenters of the Iranian regime, and the online memorial will be invaluable in promoting human rights principles to future generations of Iranian citizens.
The Abdorrahhman Boroumand Foundation (ABF) seeks to promote active citizen participation in acknowledging the supremacy of the rule of law, rejecting extrajudicial procedures, and recognizing what has happened to victims of political violence through its human rights memorial website, Omid (www.abfiran.org). The online memorial lists, in English and in Farsi, victims executed or eliminated by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Users of the website can click on a link to get a page that has been designed especially for the victim, with pictures when available, and details personalizing him or her, including gender, age, education, and religion. Each case has a section on due process. [Top]
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NED Honors African Activists with 2006 Democracy Award
On Tuesday, July 27 the National Endowment for Democracy honored four democratic activists from Sudan, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zimbabwe with the Endowment's annual Democracy Award. The event, which featured a roundtable discussion addressing the recent challenges to continued democratic progress in Africa, highlighted the courageous and inspiring work of the four honorees, who all lead civil society organizations that are responsible for important advances in the fields of human rights, women's rights, goverment transparency, independent media, and free and fair elections. Alfred Taban serves as the publisher and chairman of the board of directors of the Khartoum Monitor, Sudan's only independent English-language daily newspaper. Mr. Taban has demonstrated extraordinary personal courage in the face of repeated detention, threats, and financial hardship, persevering to advocate for national reconciliation, human rights, anddemocracy.
"The challenge that faces Africa today is how to build strong, democratic institutions. By and large, I do believe that the prospects for democracy in Africa are great," declared Zainab Bangura, a seasoned activist for good governance, human rights, and accountability in her native Sierra Leone. Zainab now serves as Chief Civil Affairs Officer to the UN Mission in Liberia. In 1995, she founded Women Organized for a Morally Enlightened Nation (W.O.M.E.N.), Sierra Leone's first nonpartisan women's political rights organization. One of the Congo's leading human rights activists, Immaculée Birhaheka is the co-founder and president of Promotion and Support of Women's Initiatives (PAIF), an organization she created in the city of Goma, in 1995. Ms. Birhaheka has been dedicated to protecting and promoting women's rights, visiting political prisoners and seeking improvements in the conditions of their detention, and leading efforts to end the massive rape of women and girls in eastern Congo.
Reginald Matchaba-Hove is a leading human rights activist in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa. His career has focused on empowering Zimbabweans to protect fundamental civil rights, ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections, and facilitating the provision of basic social services. He currently serves as the chairman of the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) and the Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa. The rountable discussion, titled "Africa's Democratic Prospect," preceded the awards ceremony. Chaired by Congressmen Ed Royce (R-CA) and Donald Payne (D-NJ), the discussion included remarks by the four honorees, in addition to regional experts and NED Africa Director Dave Peterson.
Following the roundtable discussion, the Democracy Awards were presented by U.S. Congressmen Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Donald Payne (D-NJ), and James Clyburn (D-SC). Receiving her award, Ms. Birhaheka said the award represents more than just an honor for her hard work, but also recognition that there is an international interest in the countries of Africa. "I see it as an award to the Congolese people; I also see it as an indication that NED and the American people are ready to help the Congolese people in their difficult march to democracy." In remarks preceding the presentation, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky commended the honorees: "Tonight, we stand in great admirationand respect for the courage and leadership manifested by each of the individuals being recognized and their organizations, for not only what they have achieved on behalf of theadvancement of freedom in their own societies but the exemplary behavior that I know will be emulated by countless others struggling for fundamental human rights in Africa and across the globe. We salute you." Commending the honorees, NED President Carl Gershman remarked "The hope for Africa is that there is now an awakened civil society that is represented by the people here today who make up the internal bulwark of democracy." Earlier that day, the awardees met with President Bush in the Oval Office. The President spent nearly an hour listening to the personal stories of the honorees and discussing their work to promote human rights and democratic principles. President Bush congratulated the activists and commented that, "my spirits are enriched by talking to freedom lovers and freedom fighters." More information about the Democracy Award and a video of the panel and presentations can be found on the NED website at www.ned.org. [Top]
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Most American have little knowledge of the plight of Latin Americans of African descent. Afro-Latinos, as they are known, generally suffer from high levels of poverty, insufficient access to education and health care, economic marginalization, and a lack of political representation. Since the community has few political representatives (in Colombia, for example, where Afro-Latinos comprise over a quarter of the population, its first two representatives to the Congress were elected as recently as 1994), its interests go mostly unaddressed in government affairs. Likewise, the lack of political training of the few elected black officials undermines their capacity to press for change. The Endowment has supported the aspirations of Afro-Latinos for a number of years. The group Afro-America XXI receives NED funding to promote Afro-Colombian participation at the national and municipal levels. This includes support for dialogue between the Afro-Colombian community and municipal governments, and the production of television programs and a newspaper devoted to Afro-Colombian issues. Afro-America XXI also receives NED support to promote local political participation of Afro-Latino organizations and leaders in Honduras, Panama, and Venezuela. The problems faced by blacks in the hemisphere have attracted the interest of several members of the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). Several have taken specific legislative initiatives, ranging from the encouragement of Latin American governments to collect better data on race and ethnicity, to urging the U.S. government to work with governments in the region to promote the visibility of Afro-descendants and support efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic discrimination. During the week of May 8, a delegation of members of the Colombian Congress traveled to Washington as part of NED's grant to Afro-America XXI to meet with leaders of a variety of nongovernmental organizations such as the NAACP and Global Rights, officials of institutions such as the OAS and the World Bank, and members of the U.S. Congress. One of their principal objectives was to learn about the organization and structure of the CBC, exploring the feasibility of using it as a model for their own legislative work. Two Caucus veterans, Charles Rangel and Sheila Jackson Lee, shared the experiences of the CBC and encouraged the Colombians to establish their own version of it upon their return home. At a Capitol Hill reception for the visiting delegation presided over by my Board colleague Terence Todman, a veteran diplomat and former Ambassador to a number of countries in Latin America, Congressman Gregory Meeks assured the visiting legislators that members of the Black Caucus are deeply aware of and concerned about the problems faced by their community in overcoming marginalization. Meeks, another NED Board colleague with a strong interest in the region, added that during a recent face-to-face meeting with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, he urged the government to make the issue of the social, economic, and political problems faced by Afro-Latinos a high priority. This issue will certainly remain an important priority for the Endowment as well. Vin Weber [Top]
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NED welcomed John Bohn as its newest member to its Board of Directors on June 9. Bohn, who will serve on NED's Budget and Audit Committee,currently serves as Chairman of GlobalNet Venture Partners, LLC, a global financial advisory and consulting firm. He is the immediate past chairman of the Center for International Private Enterprise. In 1981, Bohn served as special assistant to Treasury Secretary Don Regan and was appointed by President Reagan as U.S. Ambassador and Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank. In 1984, President Reagan appointed Bohn to the post of Vice Chairman of the Export Import Bank of the United States. A graduate with honors from Stanford University, Mr. Bohn attended the London School of Economics as a Fulbright scholar and received his JD from Harvard Law School. [Top]
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The Backlash Against Democracy Assistance New NED Report Documents Threats to Democracy Promotion On June 8, in testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, NED President Carl Gershman released a comprehensive new study examining the efforts of foreign governments to impede U.S. programs for democracy assistance. The report was prepared by NED at the request of the Committee's Chairman, Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), who served on the NED Board of Directors for nine years. The 52-page report is titled The Backlash Against Democracy Assistance. Drawing upon the experiences of NED's grantees, including its four affiliated institutes, as well as the research of the International Center for Not for Profit Law (www.icnl.org), the report asserts that government efforts to constrain democracy assistance have recently intensified and now seriously impededemocracy assistance in a number of states. This backlash is particularly pronouncedin the former Soviet states of Eurasia, as well as in China, Venezuela, Egypt and Zimbabwe. Representatives of democracy assistance NGOs have been harassed, offices closed and staff expelled. Even more vulnerable are local grantees and project partners who have been threatened, assaulted, prosecuted, and imprisoned. Other government tactics include funding for antidemocratic forces, and the creation of officially-sanctioned NGOs to frustrate genuine democratization. Despite these developments, the report documents that the demand for democratic assistance is greater than ever, and it emphasizes that there is a long history of successful democracy assistance, even in very challenging circumstances. The report concludes with a number of concrete recommendations for Congressional action to counter the new backlash.
In an earlier April 25 presentation at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, Gershman addressed the backlash issue in remarks based on a recent article co-authored with NED's Michael Allen in the Journal of Democracy. Gershman argued that the resistance to democracy promotion can be understood as both a backlash against these programs as well as a reaction to recent democratic breakthroughs, such as the Orange Revolution in Ukraine. Leaders of the many hybrid regimes that emerged from democracy's third wave have come to understand that "a government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.. It will become all one thing or all the other." And, Gershman explained, "many have chosen all of the former." He characterized nine categories of official measures-which are often rationalized as responses to terrorism or foreign-espionage-that governments use to disrupt and abolish democracy assistance programs. These include, among others, constraints on the right to associate, impediments to NGO registration, restrictions on foreign funding, the establishment of government-organized NGOs, and the harassment, prosecution, and deportation of civil society actors. In his presentation, Gershman also formulated a strategy to fight the assault on democracy assistance. He argued for a tactical response, which involves the work of indigenous NGOs and international assistance organizations, a political response, which involves the mobilization of political pressure on governments that block assistance and persecute local activists, and a normative response, to which a broad consensus about the definition of democracy promotion and its appropriate practice is central. For the latter, Gershman identified the Community of Democracies as one institution with the capacity and legitimacy to mobilize to broaden the acceptance of democracy promotion as an international principle and practice. Gershman's remarks were followed by comments by Barry Lowenkron, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy Human Rights and Labor, and Michael McFaul of Stanford University. [Top]
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Nearly 600 activists, practitioners, scholars, and others engaged in the promotion of democracy came together in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 2-5 to participate in the Fourth Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy. Attending from every region of the world, the participants engaged each other in more than 50 workshops, which resulted in many practical recommendations and initiatives. The Assembly was designed to help participants develop relationships of solidarity across borders and to strengthen World Movement networks to help advance their work.
Held under the theme of "Advancing Democracy: Justice, Pluralism, and Participation," the Assembly opened with an address by the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and presentations by the Honorable Kim Campbell, Secretary- General of the Club of Madrid and former Prime Minister of Canada, and the Honorable Anwar Ibrahim, former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. It sought to address some of the leading challenges to democratization around the world, including the recent proliferation of restrictive NGO laws, obstacles to the empowerment of women, and developing viable democratic arenas in Muslim societies. The Assembly featured panel discussions on the experience of democracy in Turkey, confronting the challenges of terrorism and anti-terrorism, and the role of NGOs before and after "people power" movements, as well as roundtable workshops focused on a wide range of topical issues, such as addressing anti-democratic uses of populism and nationalism, advancing the political engagement of youth, tactics and strategies inhuman rights struggles, the role of decentralization and local governance in democratization, building political parties in new democracies, civic experiences in post-conflict reconciliation, and addressing the challenges of failed states and closed societies. (Information about the Assembly, including the full agenda, can be found via the World Movement Web site at www.wmd.org.)
In addition to the topical workshops, the Assembly included meetings of World Movement regional networks, such as the African Democracy Forum and the World Forum for Democratization in Asia, and other regional discussions, such as a panel discussion on "Democracy Building in the Middle East and North Africa: The Role of the Democracy Assistance Dialogue." It also provided opportunities for meetings of functional networks focused on youth, women, media, research, local governance, human rights, higher education, and parliamentarians, as well as a discussion on supporting the role of the UN Democracy Caucus in UN reform. During the opening session, Prime Minister Erdogan underscored that "the most important aspect of contemporary democracy is to ensure that people take an increasing role in the decision-making process, and for this reason an effective and powerful civil society is among the most important characteristics of democracy." In describing the nuts and bolts that anchor the dream of democracy, Ms. Campbell spoke of the importance of those who care about democracy "to push back against those who say that democracy promotion and those who support it are in some way the carriers of a negative agenda and are trying to undermine governments...On the contrary, we are simply trying to share what we know about translating the dream of democracy.into the organizational and technical capacity that keeps that dream alive." Having himself been a political prisoner for six years, Anwar Ibrahim reminded the Assembly participants that "democracy is about giving dignity to the human spirit, founded on the doctrine of natural rights, because all individuals are endowed by their creator with a right to life, liberty, and estate. We know," he continued, "that democracy is also about pluralism, without which dissenting views will not find expression and a healthy, vibrant opposition will not materialize. Essential to this process is a profound commitment to the protection of the minority and to the rule of law and justice, so that these natural rights shall not be taken away from the people." Two organizations in Turkey served as local partners for the Assembly: the Turkish Economic Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), and the Helsinki Citizens Assembly-Turkey. Dr. Can Paker, the chairman of TESEV and a member of the World Movement Steering Committee, welcomed the participants to Istanbul and praised the Steering Committee's decision to hold the Assembly in Turkey. "The Assembly," he said, "honors and celebrates the efforts of Turkish democracy activists." "The Assembly is important for two things," Murat Belge, chairman of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly, noted. "One is the exchange of information; we should come together from all continents of the world so that we can understand and discuss each other's problems. Secondly, we should also take inspiration from each other, from what we are doing in our respective countries to overcome these problems, and take a creative look at what has been tried and achieved elsewhere." Following the opening session, Erdogan, Campbell, and Ibrahim joined the participants and other local dignitaries for dinner at which the ambassadors of Sweden and the United States, Christer Asp and Ross Wilson, respectively, and the president of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD), Michael Kau, expressed the support that the American and Swedish governments and the TFD provided to help make the Assembly possible. The World Movement's Democracy Courage Tributes, which recognize groups and movements that have shown exceptional courage in their work for freedom and democracy, often struggling in isolation and against some of the most difficult challenges to democracy and human rights in the world today, were presented on the closing night of the Assembly at the John B. Hurford Memorial Dinner. Representatives of the Crimean Tatars and its Mejlis (Parliament), the civil society of Nepal, the human rights and democracy movement in Uzbekistan, and democracy activists in Vietnam accepted the Tributes on behalf of themselves and their colleagues, many of whom have suffered imprisonment or lost their lives as a result of their dedicated work. A final report on the Fourth Assembly will be published soon and posted on the World Movement Web site (www.wmd.org). The John B. Hurford Democracy Courage Tributes
The Democracy Courage Tributes dinner, held at each Assembly, is named for the late John B. Hurford, an international philanthropist who was one of the earliest proponents of the World Movement for Democracy and served as a member of the NED Board of Directors from 1997 to 2000. On April 5, 2006, the following groups were honored at the Hurford Dinner. The Democracy Activists in Vietnam On behalf of all those who have endured political or religious persecution in Vietnam in recent times, the World Movement recognized two particularly heroic figures: Hoang Minh Chinh, a former high-ranking member of the Communist Party, and Buddhist dissident Thich Quang Do, Deputy leader of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, who has spent over 25 years in detention for his non-violent advocacy of religious freedom, human rights, and democracy. Even from prison, these men and many others like them, from both the secular and religious communities, have dared to disseminate messages defending human rights, increased pluralism, and the rule of vomg therelaw in Vietnam. The Human Rights and Democracy Movement in Uzbekistan During the past year, more than a dozen Uzbek activists, including human rights defenders, journalists, and opposition politicians have been jailed on spurious charges. The World Movement honored the following groups that have continued their extraordinary advocacy in the face of this campaign of repression: Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan-Ezgulik, Mothers Against the Death Penalty andTorture, Legal Aid Society of Uzbekistan, Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan, Ozod Ovoz, Arena News Service, Burning Hearts, Appellation, and members of the political opposition parties, Free Peasants' Party, Sunshine Uzbekistan, Erk, and Birlik. The Civil Society of Nepal Over the past eight years, Nepal has been besieged by one of Asia's deadliest conflicts that has resulted in over 10,000 deaths. In the decade and a half since its democratic transition, Nepal has struggled to contend with both a Maoist insurgency and a repressive and anti-democratic monarchy. Nepal is a country of 26 million people where over 40 percent live below the poverty line and where ethnic and caste divisions continue to plague the country. Nepal's tenacious civil society, which must work in the limited space between the Maoists and the monarchy, continues to fight to reestablish the democracy that appeared briefly just over 15 years ago. The Crimean Tatars and their Mejlis (Parliament) The efforts of the Crimean Tatars in the 1960s to petition for the right to return to their homeland created a new model of peaceful dissent that formed the basis for the emergence of one of the USSR's first human rights movements. Today, as they return to a newly independent Ukraine, they continue to struggle to build democratic culture while supporting democratic change. The World Movement paid tribute to this movement and especially to one of its heroic figures, Mustafa Djemilev, who spent a total of 18 years in the gulag as a prisoner of conscience, and to the Mejlis (parliament) that he heads and helped shape into a unique self-governing body. The World Movement for Democracy was launched in 1999 to build a global network of democracy activists, scholars, and practitioners for the exchange of ideas and experiences and to use new information and communication technologies to foster collaboration among democratic forces around the world. It is led by an international Steering Committee and NED currently serves as its Secretariat. The initiative has grown steadily since its inception, and the global assemblies (New Delhi, India in 1999; São Paulo, Brazil, in 2000; Durban, South Africa, in 2004; and Istanbul, Turkey, this year) serve as important opportunities for face-to-face networkingon a global scale. The World Movement offers new ways to give practical help to democrats who are struggling to open closed societies, challenge dictatorships, democratize semi-authoriarian systems, consolidate democracies, and strengthen established democracies. International support for the Fourth Assembly was provided by:
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After more than six months of ruinous economic policies that sparked numerous protests around the country, the people of Andijon, Uzbekistan engaged in a popular uprising on May 13-14, 2005 to protest the trial of 23 local businessmen accused of involvement in Islamic extremism and acts against the state. President Islam Karimov answered this popular uprising with excessive and brutal force, killing upwards of 750 unarmed civilians-many women and children-claiming his forces had acted to end a revolt of Islamic extremists. On May 9, 2006 NED co-sponsored a conference at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the uprising and massacre, featuring presentations by Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Representative Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ). "One Year After Andijon: What's Next for Uzbekistan and the U.S." included remarks by NED's Senior Director for Europe and Eurasia Nadia Diuk, NED Reagan-Fascell Fellow Nozima Kamalova, as well as policy analysts from the RAND Corporation, RFE/RL, the International Crisis Group, Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House. The conference began with an evocative audio presentation by Andijon eyewitness Galima Bukharbayeva, which set the tone for the next three hours as the audience listened to the anguished cries for help that were captured by the cell phone of one victim. Marc Schneider, senior vice president of the International Crisis Group, emphasized that the conference should be more than just a memorial; rather, it should be a call to action.
Prior to the feature presentations by Sen. McCain and Rep. Smith, NED Reagan-Fascell Fellow Nozima Kamalova discussed the recent crackdown on NGOs in Uzbekistan with a law that essentially portrays them as enemies of the people. The new law stipulates that providing space for any non-sanctioned meeting, private or public, is now illegal. The legislation will make it difficult if not impossible for NGOs to operate in Uzbekistan in the future, and is similar in scope to the well-publicized Russian NGO law that was passed in January of this year. The offices of Freedom House, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and InterNews have all been either shut down or suspended by the government since the passage of this legislation. Olga Oliker, a senior international policy analyst for the RAND Corporation, discussed the recent deterioration of Uzbekistan's relationship with the United States, which comes after nearly a decade of increasingly good relations fomented by the Uzbek government. In response to the events of September 11, Uzbekistan allied itself with the United States with the goal of removing the Taliban; however, the resulting relationship between the two countries was not satisfactory to the Uzbek government. Relations between the U.S. and Uzbekistan began to crumble when it became clear that Uzbekistan was failing to make significant reforms, and consequently the State Department began withholding funds. Senator McCain described his trip to Andijon following the massacre, noting that the facts presented to him by the Uzbek government simply did not add up. The government's official tally of the number of people that were killed stands at 169, comprising a few dozen security personnel and alleged "terrorists;" however, eyewitness accounts put the number closer to 1,000. Senator McCain drew attention the fact that incidents like Andijon are not isolated, and the country continues to have a negative effect on the region. In his address, Congressman Smith echoed many of the sentiments of Senator McCain, and announced his plan to reintroduce legislation for the Central Asia Democracy and Human Rights Promotion Act, which would provide $118 million in assistance for human rights and democracy training, and $15 million for increased RFE/RL and VOA broadcasting. Notably, the legislation will include a sanctions section for Uzbekistan. The limitation will prevent funding to the Uzbek government unless the Secretary of State determines the government is "making substantial and continued progress" toward respect for human rights, and that the Uzbek government begins a "credible international investigation" into the events that took place in Andijon in May 2005. Freedom House's Jennifer Windsor concluded the conference by asking that those individuals in the room who had been forced to flee Uzbekistan stand up. Impressively, nearly a fourth of the room rose. [Top]
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NED and AfroAmerica XXI welcome On Tuesday, May 9, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and AfroAmerica XXI hosted a reception to welcome and honor an Afro-Colombian delegation from Colombia's House of Representatives to the United States.
Ambassador Terrence Todman, a member of NED's Board of Directors, served as the master of ceremonies. Representative Gregory Meeks (D-NY), also a NED Board member, was on hand to offer words of support to the delegation. Colombian Congresswoman Maria Isabel Urrutia Ocoro and Congressman Edgar Eulises Torresspoke on behalf of the Colombian delegation. The event raised awareness on Capitol Hill about the challenges faced by Afro-Latinos in Latin America and helped to build relationships between the Afro-Colombian delegation and U.S. Members of Congress. With NED support, AfroAmerica XXI sponsored training sessions for the Afro-Colombian legislators during the week of May 8. The week also included discussions with the Organization of American States, the World Bank, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), the Congressional Black Caucus, and others. In addition, the reception was preceded by a panel discussion on the development and operation of the Congressional Black Caucus, and how to implement such a caucus in Colombia. [Top]
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NED Honors Tom Donahue with Democracy Service Medal Retiring NED Vice Chairman Thomas R. Donahue was honored by the Endowment with the presentation of the Democracy Service Medal on March 16, 2006. The ceremony took place at a pre-St. Patrick's Day dinner at the home of Democratic Party activist Esther Coopersmith. On hand to offer praise and congratulations were Senator Paul Sarbanes (DMD) and former House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt; both are members of the NED Board, and Gephardt succeeds Donahue as NED Vice Chairman. Jack Joyce, former president of the Bricklayers International Union, and NED President Carl Gershman also offered tributes to their longtime friend and colleague. "Tom's invaluable contributions to NED began long before he joined the Board," said Gershman. "From the beginning, he has been a truly devoted supporter of NED's mission, staff, and grantees-we could not be more grateful for his years of service, support, and friendship."
Donahue, who served as the longtime Secretary General of the AFL-CIO, and briefly as its president in 1995, played an important role in the founding of the National Endowment for Democracy. Working closely with the late Lane Kirkland, Donahue marshaled the strengths of the American labor movement to support NED's early efforts to promote democracy abroad. Most notably, this included the provision of material, financial, and moral support to the Polish trade union movement Solidarity through the Free Trade Union Institute, known today as the Solidarity Center. That relationship was commemorated in 1999, on the 10th anniversary of the Polish Roundtable accord, when NED made its first presentation of the Democracy Service Medal to former Polish President and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and the AFL-CIO's Lane Kirkland. Donahue joined the NED Board of Directors in 1997 and was elected vice chairman in 2002. He has chaired the Endowment's Budget and Audit Committee, on which he remains a member. The Board of Directors of the National Endowment for Democracy created its Democracy Service Medal in 1999 to recognize individuals who have demonstrated, through personal commitment, their dedication to the advancement of freedom, human rights, and democracy. [Top]
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This winter, NED and the Foreign Policy Association (FPA) continued the successful New York Democracy Forum with three lectures delivered by Malaysian human rights activist Anwar Ibrahim, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke, and United Nations official Kemal Dervis. On December 1, 2005, Anwar Ibrahim addressed the topic "The Future of Muslim Democracy." Ibrahim described Muslims' search for democracy, which he terms the "Great Wave of Democratic Islam," as one of the most prominent and transforming movements of our time. From witnessing Indonesia's successful break with an autocratic government in 1998 to Turkey's progression toward one of the most vibrant and mature Muslim democracies today, Ibrahim reminded the audience that "only the autocrats and authoritarian leaders seem to create a perception that democracy is something alien, a Western agenda.but the desire to be free is universal. It's neither East nor West; Islam, Christian, or Jewish. It is a universal concern. It is a moral imperative." Speaking to the issue of the war on terror, Ibrahim underscored the need for supporting strong and effective measures to defeat terrorists. He cautioned, however, against casting too wide a net, saying that "engulfing those who are neither perpetrators nor purveyors of criminal acts of terror.complicates the issue, making the entire struggle for democracy and reform in the Muslim world more difficult."
On March 8, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and NED Board member Richard Holbrooke addressed the topic "How Can America Advance Democracy Around the World?" In his speech, Holbrooke championed the bipartisan support for NED's work over the past 21 years to promote freedom around the world. However, citing the violence in Darfur as an example, Holbrooke emphasized the importance of eliminating the "rhetoric-reality gap," or the tendency to proclaim the need for basic human rights and democracy in autocratic regions while failing to follow up with actions to promote these needs. To restore America's credibility, we must engage in bipartisan dialogue about how to close the rhetoric-reality gap. On May 22, head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Kemal Dervis spoke about "Development and Democratic Governance: Some Key Issues." Addressing the linkage between democratic rule and economic welfare and prosperity, Dervis highlighted the causality between the two: "There is a positive association that runs from democratic development to good governance, and then from good governance to better economic performance and growth. What is critical in that link is that the type of democracy we have leads to good governance, the rule of law, security, and a [positive] business environment." The next lecture of the New York Democracy Forum will take place in the fall. [Top]
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In Memoriam: Beko Ransome-Kuti Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, a leading crusader for democracy and human rights in Nigeria, passed away on February 10, 2006 at the age of 65 in Lagos. The son of Nigerian pioneers who struggled for human rights in the face of a repressive government, Beko Ransome-Kuti returned to Nigeria from Manchester University in 1963 to practice medicine in government hospitals. During these early years, he worked tirelessly behind the scenes to combat medical corruption and ensure adequate medical care for all Nigerians.
In 1977, Ransome-Kuti's life turned political when Nigerian military police destroyed his own medical clinic and raided a nightclub owned by his brother, a famous pop star and political activist. After this pivotal experience, Ransome-Kuti became an outspoken critic of government repression. During the Buhari government, he became national deputy of the Nigerian Medical Association and campaigned for improved healthcare in the dismal Nigerian hospital system. Ransome-Kuti, however, is best remembered for his consistent and passionate work as a civil society activist. He founded the NED grantee Campaign for Democracy (CD) and served as its chairman from 1992-2000. He also served as president of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights and executive director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance; both NED grantees as well. From these platforms, Ransome-Kuti inspired thousands to fight government corruption and restrictions on freedom and human rights. Ransome-Kuti was repeatedly arrested for his activism against the Nigerian government. In 1993, when popular elections were renounced and a return to civilian rule was reversed, Ransome-Kuti and the CD led protests against Nigeria's ruling class. Most famously, Ransome-Kuti was sentenced to life in prison in 1995 for his role in helping to expose the mock trial of opposition leader Olusegun Obasanjo. Although he was released in 1998, he continued to direct his fiery criticisms against successive governments which did not meet his criteria for adequate democratic representation of the Nigerian people. BRK, as he was known by his followers, was a tireless fighter for human rights and a fierce campaigner against government repression. In Nigeria, as in the human rights community worldwide, he will be sorely missed. [Top]
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