Eurasia Program Highlights 2010

Meanwhile, 2010 was a year of contrasts in Belarus. Closer relations with the EU and liberalization at home were juxtaposed with repression against civil society and a restrictive new media law. The Endowment supported scores of independent organizations exploiting the openings created by the external “Dialogue Period” and the domestic “thaw,” with most of the assistance going to independent media and civil society NGOs. This thaw contrasted with the government repression following the mass protests against the deeply flawed 2010 presidential election. Security forces brutally dispersed the crowds and detained more than 700 people, including presidential candidates, party leaders, journalists, activists and citizens. More than 20 remain jailed as political prisoners. Dozens of political party, NGO and media offices were raided. In this difficult environment, NED rushed emergency support to provide legal, medical and humanitarian assistance; replace confiscated and destroyed equipment; and keep independent groups alive and operating in “Europe’s last dictatorship.”

In the Caucasus the year was marked by disappointing parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, which drew intense criticism from domestic and international observers for many types of violations and irregularities. However, NED’s grantees there still found innovative ways to engage: the Institute for Reporter Freedom and Safety, for example, launched the country’s first internet television channel.

In Armenia, efforts to promote human rights and freedom of information came under pressure as NED grantee and main opposition television station A1+ was denied a broadcast license. In Georgia, civil society remains in disarray; the Russian invasion brought in its wake failed opposition protests, intense economic hardship, and controversial constitutional amendments. NED is focusing its support on independent media and the promotion of discussion forums, including television talk shows produced by Studio Re, the radio talk show “Dialogue,” and the magazine Liberali.

Kyrgyzstan remained a priority for NED in Central Asia. Following the fall of the Bakiev regime in April and the violence in the south in June, NED almost doubled the size of its program in Kyrgyzstan, focusing particularly on the areas of conflict resolution, human rights monitoring, and freedom of information. The Endowment supported three new interethnic mediation programs, including a project conducted by long-term grantee the Institute for Public Policy, which focused on training civic and human rights activists from the south on how to be effective mediators. Following the referendum and the parliamentary elections, NED programs also helped civil society provide input into creating a functioning parliamentary system.

In December 2010, the Endowment cosponsored a conference on “Political Stabilization in the Kyrgyz Republic: Challenges and Perspectives.” Hosted by the Youth Human Rights Group and Golos Svobody, the conference was organized in cooperation with the Presidential Administration of Kyrgyzstan and the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia. It brought together more than 100 members of the government, civil society, international organizations, donors, and embassies for a day-long discussion of the challenges faced by Kyrgyzstan in its efforts to become a stable parliamentary democracy.

In neighboring Kazakhstan, civil society hopes that Astana’s 2010 OSCE chairmanship would spur democratic reforms — or at least lead to an easing of restrictions on civil and political life — did not materialize. On the contrary, Kazakhstan continued to constrict political and civic space in blatant disregard of its OSCE commitments. In response, NED continued to support projects aimed at promoting freedom of information, such as those of Adil Soz, and human rights groups, such as the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law. In addition, NED cosponsored the Parallel OSCE Conference in Astana in November, during which approximately 200 activists and practitioners gathered to discuss strategies to help the OSCE improve its support and monitoring of fundamental human rights.

In Tajikistan, NED continued to support organizations fostering independent media, such as Asia Plus, and promoting human rights, such as the Amparo Young Lawyers Association.

These highlights were written for the 2010 Annual Report, published in August 2011.