Promise of Astana Summit remains unfulfilled in OSCE area, ODIHR director says ahead of Human Rights Day

WARSAW, 9 December 2011 – One year after the OSCE participating States promised to step up their efforts to ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, tangible progress remains elusive, said Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), ahead of tomorrow’s international Human Rights Day.

“As the ‘Arab Spring’ forcefully reminds us of the universality of human rights rooted in every individual’s inherent dignity, we see that in our own region progress has stalled and is even being reversed in some cases,” Lenarčič said.

At the OSCE Summit in Astana last December, the leaders of the OSCE’s 56 participating States acknowledged that the protection and promotion of human rights is the first responsibility of government, and highlighted the important role played by civil society and free media in this context.

“Despite the commitments undertaken in Astana, a number of governments in our region continue to unduly restrict human rights and fundamental freedoms. This includes clamping down on protests and other forms of peaceful dissent, and restricting the activities of political parties and civil society,” added Lenarčič.

He said it was unacceptable that human rights defenders and journalists remain under threat in several countries, sometimes paying with their freedom or even their lives for what they say or do.

Lenarčič warned that complacency and the current economic and financial crisis should not tempt governments to pay less attention to human rights protection in domestic and external policies.

“Continuing events in the Arab world have been an important reminder that the violation of human rights is one of the greatest threats to our long-term security,” he said.

“Tomorrow’s Human Rights Day provides an opportunity to reiterate our strong commitment to protecting and promoting human rights as a precondition for lasting and comprehensive security in our region.”

He expressed the hope that OSCE participating States will intensify their efforts to fully implement their existing commitments, and to further strengthen the protection of all individuals, groups and organizations that work for the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms.