WELCOME TO IWPR'S REPORTING CENTRAL ASIA, No. 460, 11 August, 2006 TURKMEN CIVIL SOCIETY UNDER THREAT NGOs and other public groups harassed and denied permission to register. By IWPR staff in London
KAZAKSTAN: NGOS FEAR LOSING INDEPENDENCE Nazarbaev's new vision for dealing with civil society groups has them feeling distinctly nervous. By Gaziza Baituova in Taraz KYRGYZSTAN: PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY DISAPPOINTS Dissenting voices stifled at meeting of Kyrgyz minority groups. By Taalaibek Amanov in Bishkek ****************** VISIT IWPR ON-LINE: www.iwpr.net *************** RSS: http://www.iwpr.net/en/rca/rss.xml FREE SUBSCRIPTION. Readers are urged to subscribe to IWPR's full range of electronic publications at: http://www.iwpr.net/index.php?apc_state=henh&s=s&m=p ****************** VISIT IWPR ON-LINE: www.iwpr.net *************** TURKMEN CIVIL SOCIETY UNDER THREAT NGOs and other public groups harassed and denied permission to register. By IWPR staff in London In a country where loyal servants of the regime are as much under suspicion as opposition activists, it goes without saying that President Saparmurat Niazov views Turkmenistan's handful of civil society groups with deep distrust. Perhaps more surprising and frustrating though is that his policy of iron control over all aspects of public life also extends to groups with no interest in politics. The National Chess Committee and the National Artisans Association are among several seemingly innocuous organisations that have been denied permission to register with the justice ministry - a legal requirement in Turkmenistan. "We submitted documents to the ministry twice, and twice the documents were returned to us, with the explanation that the papers were drawn up incorrectly. We realised that they don't want to register us," said a member of the artisans group. "It's strange. How can we do anything to disturb the country? We are not involved in politics. We only glorify the country, preserving national art and crafts." When Counterpart - a US civil society support initiative - set up its office in Turkmenistan in 1997 it had over 400 non-governmental organisations on its database. Today, that number has dwindled to less than 90 - the overwhelming majority of which are pro-government bodies like the Youth Organisation, the Union of Women, the Union of Dog Breeders and the Union of Camel Breeders. A handful of independents include the Ufologists Society, the Environmental Protection Society, the Agama Mountain Climbers Club and the Beekeepers Club. At the heart of the problem is a repressive law passed in late 2003 that criminalised unregistered activities of public organisations. At the urging of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, that law was softened in 2004, but civil society has never recovered. Hindering its development is the requirement that NGOs must register in order to operate - an impossible task not only for the artisans and chess enthusiasts but also for any organisation the government sees as a threat. A member of the Arkadag human rights NGO told IWPR that his group has given up trying to register. "We have lost count of how many times we have tried to legalise our position," he said, explaining one application was denied because of an incorrectly placed comma on the form. "The last time, when there was nothing to find fault with, they said, 'you didn't pay the [registration] fee'. We haven't been there again. There is no point. It is clear that they don't want to register us." An environmental NGO from the eastern Lebap region has experienced similar problems. The head of the group told IWPR that during his last visit to the justice ministry in July it was made clear that his hopes to register were in vain. "We submitted documents twice. The second time we were given the proposal to pay a [registration] fee of 1.5 million manats [300 US dollars], although according to the law it is paid after the decision on registration is made," said the NGO representative. "A year has gone by since we paid. I recently learned of the result. I was kept waiting at the ministry waiting room for a whole hour, and then the secretary told me that the head of the registration department was not in. "They evidently have an order not to register NGOs, but they can't refuse us directly, and they have run out of arguments for lying." Unable to work in the non-profit sector, many NGOs, especially human rights organisations, have registered as commercial enterprises because such businesses are subject to less stringent controls. Ecological group Ecosodruzhestvo is among those who've taken this option, and in addition to its environmental work now offers management consulting. But this brings its own set of problems, as changing from a non-profit organisation makes it hard to get foreign funding. International donors are thin on the ground in Turkmenistan, however, discouraged by the hostile political environment. Even NGOs that do manage to get legally registered struggle to operate. The justice ministry is slow to approve any projects they try to undertake and harassment is commonplace. The Ufologists Society recently organised a training session with instructors from Ashgabat. "Before the seminar began, a representative of the interior ministry entered the room and declared the seminar to be closed, because the organisation had not warned the local administration about it," said one of the trainers. Meanwhile, a journalism seminar supported by the OSCE was disrupted three times. When the OSCE appealed to the foreign ministry, the minister Rashid Meredov refused to allow it to proceed. In the end it took place in a US embassy conference hall, but organisers say the future of the project is now in jeopardy. A public health project organised by Counterpart - which is registered - is also under threat. Counterpart awarded 12 grants to groups around the country to implement the scheme but workers trying to register with their local authorities have been intimidated. "The regional administration summoned us and started shouting at us, demanding we take back our documents for registration," said a young doctor from the Balkanabat region. "I was summoned to the administration and asked a lot of questions and threatened with dismissal from my job. I will have to turn down the project." KAZAKSTAN: NGOS FEAR LOSING INDEPENDENCE Nazarbaev's new vision for dealing with civil society groups has them feeling distinctly nervous. By Gaziza Baituova in Taraz A Kazak government strategy ostensibly to develop civil society will in practice further curtail the activities of independent NGOs in the country, analysts and activists fear. A new legal framework - approved by President Nursultan Nazarbaev on July 25 - marks a significant change in how the authorities deal with NGOs. In the past, that has involved harassment and restrictive conditions, but now civil society groups will receive financial support - although some fear this may prove to be compromising. Critics worry the Nazarbaev regime aims to create a network of pro-government NGOs that will eventually sideline their foreign-funded, independent counterparts. "If in previous years NGOs were financed almost entirely from abroad, now the government is planning to organise an alternative civil field [paid for] with budget money," said Pyotr Svoik, chairman of an Almaty NGO that monitors monopolies. "The government is not really interested in the opinion of civil society. The government is interested in controlling citizens." Natalya Chumakova, director of the Kazakstan Democracy Support Centre, worries that newly created government NGOs will simply drown out independent groups. "They are designed to neutralise truly independent organisations," she said. "This is why financing of NGOs from the state has been increased." Analysts say that although independent Kazak NGOs are small in numbers, they offer real opposition to the government. In its recent report Countries at the Crossroads, the research institute Freedom House cited the Almaty Helsinki Committee and the Kazakstan International Bureau on Human Rights and Rule of Law, KIBHR, as NGOs that are particularly active. In a positive development, Freedom House points out that the government last year backed off from severely limiting the rights of independent NGOs when the Constitutional Council vetoed two laws on the civil society groups in August 2005. Observers speculate this apparent softening could be related to Kazakstan's bid to chair the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2009 - which is closely tied to Astana convincing the international community of its commitment to democracy. Freedom House, however, has reservations about Nazarbaev's democratic credentials. It speaks of "intensified pressure on the country's civil society sector through harassment of, and attacks against, opposition activists and independent journalists; new restrictive laws, including legislation on extremism and national security that further curtailed the activities of religious groups, media outlets, political parties, and nongovernmental organisations". In February, Nazarbaev signed off on legislation that hands law enforcement agencies and the prosecutor's office greater surveillance rights and the power to disband groups suspected of extremism. Human rights activists said the definition of "extremism" was vague and could be used against nearly any political party, religious group, or NGO. In July, the president approved amendments to national security legislation that imposed new restrictions on criminal and civil procedure codes and on laws regulating political parties, NGOs, religious groups and the media. Although the amendments were ostensibly designed to strengthen the country's security, they served to further undermine civil liberties, said Freedom House. Leading human rights groups like KIBHR have had their offices broken into and documents rifled through. Human Rights Watch was among those expressing concern that the break-in was a politically motivated attempt at intimidating the organisation. Responding to Nazarbaev's new strategy for dealing with NGOs, KIBHR director Evgeny Jovtis said direct state intervention in the development of civil society goes against international practice, adding that governments should merely create appropriate conditions under which the sector can flourish. At the same time, media organisations have also been coming under pressure. A new draconian law requires news organisations to re-register with the authorities when they change editor, address or circulation - a process that requires them to pay a fee. The legislation also stipulates that candidates for editor positions will be disqualified if they have previously edited a media outlet that has been closed down by a court order. And cyberspace is unlikely to provide a refuge for journalists, as plans are afoot to regulate the internet. The government has sought to put a positive spin on the latest developments, describing its NGO strategy as a progressive approach towards civil society development. Prepared by the National Commission on Issues of Democratisation, the government says the plan adhere strictly to democratic principles. Dariga Nazarbaeva, the president's daughter and commission member, insists that NGOs will benefit from the change of approach, as they will work with the state in an equal partnership. "The state must be interested in a situation where institutions of civil society stand firmly and influence decisions passed by the state and the domestic and foreign policy that the state follows," she said. Alexander Skryl from KIBHR doubts the promises of more harmonious relations between the state and NGOs, saying any of the latter that don't toe the government's line will continue to be treated with suspicion and closely monitored, "It is no secret for anyone that there is extensive surveillance of the activity of independent NGOs." Another independent analyst had this gloomy prediction for the future, "In Kazakstan, whatever happens, there will never be civil society in the classic definition of the word." Gaziza Baituova is an IWPR correspondent in Taraz. KYRGYZSTAN: PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY DISAPPOINTS Dissenting voices stifled at meeting of Kyrgyz minority groups. By Taalaibek Amanov in Bishkek The Bakiev government has been accused of ignoring the concerns of ethnic minorities and using the recent Assembly of Peoples of Kyrgyzstan as a propaganda tool. The August 5 meeting in the capital Bishkek was the first assembly since former president Askar Akaev was overthrown in March 2005, but some analysts and attendees say nothing has changed - another disappointment for those who say Kurmanbek Bakiev has failed to deliver on the promises of the Tulip Revolution. Akaev set up the assembly in 1994 ostensibly to give a voice to minorities, including the country's large Uzbek and Russian populations. Instead, however, the meetings were used to promote the government's own political agenda. "Since Akaev's time, the Assembly of Peoples of Kyrgyzstan has been a political body where individual representatives showed their support of the current regime," said Anvar Artykov, a former governor of the Osh region, who was dismissed in January. He didn't attend the assembly. "It is a formal body under the president, which agrees unconditionally with his policy." Alexander Knyazev, a political analyst, agrees. "I don't see any real difference between the [assembly] held during Akaev's rule and the [assembly] held under the current president," he said. "This is a show event, which attempts to demonstrate the people's support of the president's policy. The same thing was done under Akaev." In the case of this fifth annual assembly, attended by 750 delegates including officials, NGOs and journalists, that policy is the promotion of the Kyrgyz language. Though it is the official state language, in practice the use of Kyrgyz has always lagged behind Russian, a situation Bakiev hopes will change with the setting up of Kyrgyz-only nurseries and other schools. "Kyrgyz must not be a language of division. It should unite the citizens of the country. So new approaches to its introduction are needed," said Bakiev, but added he is against an artificial and forced development of the language. Russians represent about 12 per cent of the population, well behind Kyrgyzstan's largest ethnic minority group, the Uzbeks, at around 16-17 per cent. Kyrgyzstan's Uzbeks also want their language to be recognised as an official language and are demanding better political representation. Prominent Uzbek community leader Kadyrjan Batyrov wanted to talk about these and other issues but was denied permission to speak by the secretary of state Adakhan Madumarov who chaired the meeting. "The Assembly of Peoples was essentially pushed to the side," said Batyrov, a member of parliament who also heads the Uzbek National Cultural Centre of Jalalabad. "They ignored us. The organisers did not want me to talk about all the inter-ethnic problems, so they did not give me the floor." He said only deputies whose speeches had been pre-approved were allowed to speak and none who did accurately reflected the current problems in Kyrgyzstan. "The assembly did not reach its goal, the tension that exists in society has not been removed, on the contrary it has even been increased," he said. "For the Uzbek delegates, the assembly gave nothing. They want to stifle and suppress us. They don't intend to sit down at the discussion table and remove the tension in a civilised manner." Kasym Chargynov, a member of the assembly's council, a permanent body, had a rather different perspective. He declared the meeting a success, citing the passing of a strategy to encourage an open cultural exchange between Kyrgyzstan's various ethnic groups. "Inter-ethnic problems were studied from various points of view," he said. He disagrees with those who suggest the assembly is little changed from the Akaev era body, saying, "Before we didn't talk about our problems, and agreed with everyone. But now we have outlined the problems of ethnic minorities." Omurbek Tekebaev, parliamentary deputy and co-chairman of the opposition movement For Reform, isn't convinced. He said recent incidents have given rise to distrust between ethnic minorities in the country - a situation the assembly did nothing to alleviate. "The event was not held in a convincing manner," he said. "A purposeful systematic policy is required in the sphere of inter-ethnic relations, but unfortunately no such attempts can be seen in the work of the current president and his team. Unfortunately, there were too many formal phrases spoken by formal people at this [assembly]. You can't help remembering the times of Akaev." Taalaibek Amanov is an IWPR contributor in Bishkek. ****************** VISIT IWPR ON-LINE: www.iwpr.net *************** IWPR's Reporting Central Asia provides the international community with a unique insiders' perspective on the region. Using our network of local journalists, the service publishes news and analysis from across Central Asia on a weekly basis. The service forms part of IWPR's Central Asia Project based in Almaty, Bishkek, Tashkent and London, which supports media development and encourages better local and international understanding of the region. IWPR's Reporting Central Asia is supported by the UK Community Fund. The service is published online in English and Russian. All our reporting services are also available via e-mail subscription. For further details on this project and other information services and media programmes, visit IWPR's website: www.iwpr.net Editor-in-Chief: Anthony Borden; Managing Editor: Yigal Chazan; Senior Editor: John MacLeod; Central Asia Programme Manager Saule Mukhametrakhimova; Editor in Bishkek Kumar Bekbolotov. IWPR Project Development and Support - Executive Director: Anthony Borden; Strategy & Assessment Director: Alan Davis; Managing Director: Tim Williams. The Institute for War & Peace Reporting is a London-based independent non-profit organisation supporting regional media and democratic change. 48 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8LT, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7831 1030 Fax: +44 (0)20 7831 1050 The opinions expressed in IWPR's Reporting Central Asia are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the publication or of IWPR. ISSN: 1477-7924 Copyright © 2006 The Institute for War & Peace Reporting REPORTING CENTRAL ASIA No. 460
