[CivilSoc] Dzhibladze Dissent in Durban

Wed, 12 Sep 2001 13:51:50 -0700 (PDT)

Below is the text of a remarkable dissenting statement made recently
by Yuri Dzhibladze at the World Conference Against Racism, etc., in
Durban, South Africa. Yuri spoke on behalf of more than 50 NGOs from
the CEE/NIS region that felt compelled to disassociate themselves
from the conference's Final Declaration.  It was submitted to
Johnson's Russia List by Cathy Fitzpatrick, executive director of the
International League for Human Rights.
Dzhibladze is President of the Centre for the Development of
Democracy and Human Rights, based in Moscow. His telephone number and
e-mail address are: +7-095-203-9196 and <[email protected]>.
Members of CivilSoc who identify strongly with the statements made by
Dzhibladze might wish to consider making a financial contribution to
his organization.  If you like Yuri's talk, your support will help
his organization "walk the talk."
Holt Ruffin
Civilsoc moderator
_________________________________
from Johnson's Russia List, #5434
10 September 2001
[email protected]
#13
From: "Catherine Fitzpatrick" <[email protected]>
Subject: Fw: Yuri's statement at the WCAR plenary 0906
Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001
I think this is a truly inspiring and impressive statement on
Chechnya and other issues made at the official WCAR conference by
Yuri Dzhibladze, the head of the East/Central Europe/Russia caucus at
WCAR. (This is different than the statement circulated yesterday
regarding non-support of some elements of the NGO Forum statement).
Cathy
___________________________________________________________________
Statement of the representative of Eastern and Central European NGO
Caucus at the plenary session of the World Conference Against Racism,
Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance
Durban, South Africa
September 6, 2001
Mr. Yuri Dzhibladze,
President of the Centre for the Development of Democracy and Human
Rights, Russia
Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen,
I am speaking on behalf of NGO delegates from 21 country of Eastern
and Central Europe and the former Soviet Union--nations which are
called now "countries in transition." Like many other groups here, we
are both concerned about addressing global problems of racism and
trying to have our specific issues included in the agenda of the
World Conference. But probably no other region as big as ours is so
much out of focus of the Conference debates. We believe that if
specific problems of racism and xenophobia affecting lives of almost
half a billion people living on 20 per cent of the world territory
are left out in the discussions of the World Conference, this global
forum will not have the right to be called truly global. We call upon
you to respond to the challenge and address all different forms and
manifestations of modern racism because they require different
remedies.
People of our region who have lived in the last decade through the
most tragic experience of human suffering resulting from intolerance
and ethnic hatred, such as the bloodshed in the Balkans and in
Caucasus, have lots of lessons to share with the rest of the world.
Racism has many ugly faces, not always easily recognised and
confronted. Our experiences teach us that it takes honesty, courage
and responsibility to address contemporary manifestations of racism
and develop effective responses.
The conference should recognise that in many regions of the world,
particularly in countries in transition, the is alarming growth of
aggressive nationalism and ethnocentrism, which are expressions of
racism and xenophobia not rooted in the slave-trade but deeply
embedded historical prejudices and hatred towards ethnic and
religious minorities. They often lead to large-scale human rights
violations, discrimination and persecution targeting specific groups
such as Jews, Roma, peoples from the Caucasus and Central Asia,
Meskhetian Turks, and frequently even to "ethnic cleansing" and
crimes against humanity with elements of genocide, particularly in
the Balkans and Chechnya.
Our region knows too well how ethnic hatred escalates into armed
conflicts which in turn perpetuate xenophobia and intolerance in the
war zones and beyond. Impunity should not be permitted. We urge the
States speedily conduct on the national level investigation and
persecution of war crimes in compliance with resolutions of the UN
Commission on Human Rights, not awaiting for the establishment of the
International Criminal Court.
Effective protection should be granted to refugees and IDPs, the
majority of whom are minorities, and that are being forced to return
to the areas of armed conflict in violation of international
humanitarian law. UN special rapporteurs must be provided access to
areas of armed conflict.
The next problem is the problem of state racism. State racism is
typical for many countries in our region and is often manifested by
political and intellectual elites who exploit the nationalistic and
xenophobic sentiments of the general public for political
mobilisation and legitimisation of their authority and political
power. It is done not only in the traditional blatant ways but also
in relatively new, more covert institutionalised forms. In many
countries official programmes and actions aimed at controlling
migration and preventing ethnic conflicts often represent these new
covert forms of institutionalised racism.
Criminal justice system and actions of law enforcement agencies are
often based on stereotypes about alleged criminality of different
minorities. Racial profiling is extensively used. A legacy of the
communist past--internal passport and residence permit
system--represents a policy leading to discrimination and expulsion
of ethnic minorities in many countries in transition. All this leads
to the institutionalisation and justification of racism, xenophobia
and discriminatory practices tolerated, inspired, or perpetrated by
government institutions and officials.  These policies must be
abolished.
The problem is aggravated by the problem of denial of the very
existence of racism by government officials. On many occasions we,
NGO activists, hear from our public officials: "Racism is not our
problem; we do not have it." We affirm that no efforts to combat the
scourge of racism can be successful without recognising that the
problem exists. It is essential that governments stop denying,
tolerating or legitimising racism and xenophobia in all forms.
My statement would not be complete without drawing your attention to
the plight of the people who live through a terrible tragedy today,
the Chechen people. We affirm that the Chechen people still suffer
mass outrageous violations of human rights and international
humanitarian law. This is about racism--because the military
operations in Chechnya are accompanied by a wide-scale campaign to
incite hatred toward the Chechens which results in mass persecution
and discrimination of the people of the Caucasian ethnic origin
outside of Caucasus.
This is the last lesson from our region that I wanted to share with
you today. When gross abuses of human rights and violence are
justified through the creation of enemy images, hate and intolerance
permeate the whole society, and the infectious virus of racism and
xenophobia becomes much more difficult to cure.
Unfortunately, a similar problem has undermined the process of
compilation of the NGO Forum documents here as well as debates at the
World Conference. When difficult dialog about human rights is
substituted by political and ideological accusations, it gives way to
new intolerance and hatred.
Our region has important lessons to share with the rest of the world
but has also a lot of home work to do to combat racism and
xenophobia. We need to work together, all regions of the world,
governments and NGOs, citizens and politicians, to fight the dragon,
including the most dangerous dragon--the one within us.
Thank you.