Middle school students in Kyrgyzstan participate in a summer school course on human rights organized by the Human Rights and Democracy Center

Eurasia

Russia’s invasion of Georgia in August of 2008 shocked the region. Georgia remains mired in a political crisis – the past year has seen mass rallies, pre-term elections, closing of independent media, a state of emergency, and deepening economic crisis. NED’s priorities in Georgia remain focused on human rights, free media, and free elections.

The Fund Sukhumi promoted women’s leadership in politics, particularly women leaders from among Georgians who were displaced by the war in Abkhazia, and established a “League of Women Voters” organization. The nongovernmental organization Article 42 of the Constitution brought about judicial review of legislation that violated constitutional norms.

The Georgian Young Lawyers Association monitored the presidential and parliamentary elections. The International Republican Institute (IRI) conducted a program for local government and local political leaders to enable them to respond to the needs of constituents. NED support to the media included the weekly newspaper Batumelebi, the main independent source of information for the population of Batumi.

In Armenia and Azerbaijan, NED funding focused on providing independent news and information and ensuring human rights and rule of law. In Azerbaijan, Women’s Media Watch advanced women’s participation in public life by producing a weekly hour long talk show about women’s rights for the national television station ANS. In Armenia, the Investigative Journalists NGO expanded the operation of the weekly Hetq Online into a continually updated on-line news resource. The Helsinki Association provided legal assistance for victims of police brutality and conducted trial monitoring of cases stemming from the violent dispersal of demonstrations in March 2008.

As expected, Dmitry Medvedev was elected President of Russia in March 2008. However, former President Vladimir Putin, appointed to the post of Prime Minister, left little room for doubt that he remained firmly in control. Putin’s government propagated a number of anti-democratic initiatives throughout the year, including a constitutional amendment that would extend the term of Russia’s presidency to six years, and a law that would define any assistance rendered by a Russian NGO to a foreign organization as treason.

Although threats and violence against them continued, NED grantees nevertheless continued their work. The Caucasus Media Institute began selecting young journalists from throughout the North Caucasus to undergo training in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. Nonviolence International began a unique program to bridge ethnic differences in the North Caucasus by fostering a dialog among officials from different regions. NDI began a program to support the development of political parties, while IRI worked to foster the development of youth political activism. :: MORE