Young journalists learn how to create video journalism pieces at the Caucasus Institute Foundation.

Eurasia

See the 2010 Grantee Spotlight on OL!

Despite initial hopes that 2010 would bring some positive changes for the countries of the post-Soviet region, the year ended with significant set-backs for democracy in Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, all three countries in the southern Caucasus, and four countries in Central Asia. The exception was Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia where, after a violent end to a dictatorial regime, some tentative steps were taken toward creating the first parliamentary democracy in the region. By year’s end, Kyrgyzstan’s revolution and ethnic conflict had given way to a free and competitive parliamentary election. The other states of the region remained stable but lacked any substantial progress toward democracy.

In 2010, people peacefully demonstrated all over Russia, from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok, to object to abuse of power, corruption and environmental hazards, and to call for consumer rights. In Moscow and several major cities, the “31” movement — which defends the freedom of assembly guaranteed in Article 31 of the Russian constitution — held rallies that garnered support from many in civil society and the political opposition. At the same time, the formation of the Solidarity Movement united most Russian political parties into a single bloc.

Defending human rights in the closed areas and conflict zones of the North Caucasus remained a priority for NED, and its grantees continued to provide assistance to citizens in this dangerous and unpredictable area. NED’s thirteen partners in the region worked to promote greater government accountability among often corrupt local authorities, to document human right abuses, and to provide direct legal assistance. The Regional Public Organization “Regional Civic Initiative - The Right to Life and Human Dignity,” was awarded Reporters Without Borders’ prestigious Press Freedom Prize for their magazine DOSH, which covers events in Chechnya and other areas of the North Caucasus. NED also worked to better coordinate international assistance in the region, sponsoring a conference with Stockholm-based Civil Rights Defenders that brought together practitioners and donors working in the region.

Ukraine’s still-nascent democracy faced a number of challenges in 2010, including presidential, regional and local elections, the return of media censorship, and questionable constitutional reform measures. Though the presidential and regional elections were largely free and fair, NDI and IRI led the charge in criticizing last-minute changes to Ukraine’s law on local elections, which had resulted in compressed electoral timelines, limited access to candidate information, and restrictive party registration requirements. And in October, Ukraine’s Constitutional Court overturned measures put in place following the 2004 Orange Revolution that limited presidential powers. In order to promote public knowledge of, and involvement in, the constitutional reform process, NED supported a project by the School for Policy Analysis of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.  :: MORE