Yevgeny Zhovtis is in a dingy cell somewhere in Kazakhstan. A leading human rights activist, Zhovtis and his incarceration on trumped up charges of manslaughter point to a disturbing trend in the world of international law and human rights. States, and in particular, post-Soviet states are not being held accountable for their human rights abuse. In some cases, the violations are so flagrant that it borders on the absurd.
As of 1 January 2010, Kazakhstan chairs Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The OSCE is mandated to encourage democracy but in many post-Soviet states, like Kazakhstan, single-party rule and a culture of politics based on a centralised power base seriously undermines their legitimacy.
On-top of the recent laws to suppress the freedom of expression in Kazakhstan, the nation’s leaders fabricate charges and imprison individuals like Zhovtis. Perhaps even more discouraging is that the western democracies in Europe and the United States have turned their back on Zhovtis’ plight.
“One gets the impression democratic states and international organizations are playing a game of hide-and-seek with dictatorships and authoritarian regimes,” Zhovtis wrote in the statement. which was read at the Human Rights Summit 2010, an event sponsored by the democratization watchdog group Freedom House International. “You pretend that you agree with us on the issue of guaranteeing human rights . . . and we will pretend that we don’t see you violating your obligations.”
