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East: Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan Criticized For Suppressing Democracy
An international human rights group is charging the energy-rich nations of the post-Soviet Union with suppressing the development of democracy.
In a new report, to be released on June 24, the private democracy watchdog Freedom House accuses Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan of using their resource wealth to build the central power of the state at the expense of political competition, the courts, and the media.
It says Russia has used profits from its booming oil and natural-gas sectors to become the leading antidemocratic force in the region. It also accuses the Kremlin of adopting a form of “authoritarian capitalism” to secure the power of its ruling elite and says state power, industry chiefs, and security services have formed an “Iron Triangle” that controls the electoral process, political opponents, and the news media.
The growing authoritarianism, the report says, is reflected in Russia’s foreign policy, particularly in the pressure its has applied on Georgia as it institutes reforms and moves toward the West.
Freedom House says similar trends in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan assure that democracy is also being held back in those energy-rich states. And it accuses the ruling elites in all three countries of targeting the court systems to make sure they do not provide unbiased and independent justice and of muzzling the media to be ensure abuses of power are not scrutinized.
The report concludes, in part, that nearly two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the vision of a wider Europe that is whole and free remains unrealized.
Copyright (c) 2008. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
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