24585: Hermantin (News) 5 nations are cited as human rights abusers

[sak-pase@bimini.ws]

leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>


Posted on Tue, Mar. 29, 2005
5 nations are cited as human rights abusers
BY PABLO BACHELET
Miami Herald


WASHINGTON - Many countries in Latin America are struggling to consolidate 
democratic reforms and respect for human rights, a State Department report 
said Monday, reserving some of the strongest language for abuses in Cuba, 
Venezuela, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Colombia.

The congressionally mandated report -- Supporting Human Rights and 
Democracy: The U.S. Record 2004-2005 -- details U.S. actions worldwide to 
promote democracy and respect for human rights. In Latin America, democracy 
continued to prevail but countries suffered from inefficient and corrupt 
judicial systems to police excesses against the opposition and media.

In Venezuela, there was ''some pretty severe backsliding in areas like press 
freedom, judicial independence, and so on,'' said Michael Kozak, acting 
assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor. The 
report listed U.S. programs to support nongovernmental organizations. In 
Cuba, the United States has had to resort to ''creative ways'' to get around 
state censorship by using images such as the creation of a prison cell 
replica on the grounds of the U.S. mission in Havana. Over 300,000 media 
items and thousands of free radios were distributed to Cubans. In Haiti, 
where the report cited ''extrajudicial killings'' by Haitian police, the 
United States has provided technical assistance for elections and has sent 
62 Haitian civil society leaders to attend seminars on human rights.

In Colombia the State Department noted reports of long detention before 
trial as well as abuses committed by some of the security forces. The United 
States has helped Colombia reform its judiciary and train its police. In 
criticizing the Dominican Republic's record, the report noted the use of 
torture by security forces. The United States has provided technical 
assistance to implement a new criminal code.