Human rights report notes Ukraine's record in 2000 (03/11/01)

Human rights report notes Ukraine's record in 2000

Following is an excerpt from the section on Ukraine contained in the "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000" released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. State Department.

... The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Ministry of Internal Affairs (which controls the various police forces), and the Ministry of Defense have equal responsibility for internal security and report to the President through the Cabinet. The State Tax Administration also has law enforcement powers, which it exercises through the tax police. The armed forces largely have remained outside of politics. While civilian authorities generally maintain effective control of the security forces, institutional government corruption sometimes can lead to their improper use. The SBU and other government agencies have interfered indirectly in the political process through criminal and tax investigations of politicians, journalists, and influential businessmen. Members of the security forces committed human rights abuses.

... The government's human rights record was poor in some areas; however, the government continued to respect the rights of its citizens in other areas. In previous years, police and military committed extrajudicial killings; however, there were no reports of such incidents during the year.

A prominent journalist disappeared in September. In November a decapitated body believed to be his was found. Later that month, a prominent political opponent accused the President of complicity in the disappearance. Those charges have not been proved or disproved. The government asserted that it is investigating the journalist's disappearance and conducting tests to determine the identity of the corpse; however, the case remains unsolved at year's end, and the authorities' poor handling of the investigation proved a source of great concern.

... The government rarely punishes officials who commit abuses. The SBU, police, and Prosecutor's Office have drawn domestic and international criticism for their failure to take adequate action to curb institutional corruption and abuse in the government. Many high-profile corruption cases have been dropped, ostensibly because of lack of evidence. Anti-corruption legislation has been enforced selectively, mostly against government opponents and low-level officials. Political interference and corruption affect the judicial process. The judiciary is overburdened, inefficient, and lacks sufficient funding and staff. These factors undermine citizens' right to a fair trial. The criminal justice system has been slow to reform, due to both lack of government effort and strained economic resources.

The government continued to intrude in citizens' lives and infringe on their privacy rights. The government interfered with the news media and restricted freedom of the press; however, a wide range of opinion is available in newspapers and periodicals. Government interference was particularly severe during the period preceding the April referendum on amendments to the Constitution that would expand presidential powers by limiting the power of the Parliament and in response to coverage of the scandal surrounding the disappearance of an opposition journalist. Self-censorship remained a significant problem. During the 1999 presidential election campaign, government authorities interfered in the election process and stepped up pressure on the media through tax inspections and other measures. The national broadcast media came under particular pressure. There were some limits on freedom of assembly, and there were some instances of restrictions on freedom of association. ...

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