HRF Brings UN Attention to Rights Abuses in Three Countries

NEW YORK (July 19, 2024) — Last week, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) submitted contributions to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) regarding Bolivia, Iraq, and Kazakhstan.

“Bolivia, Iraq, and Kazakhstan have accepted numerous UPR recommendations but have made very little progress in their implementation,” HRF Chief Advocacy Officer Roberto González said. “Systematic violations, including arbitrary arrests, detention, and torture, along with the suppression of freedoms of assembly, association, and expression, remain pervasive in all three countries, underscoring the need for more decisive action to uphold international human rights standards and protect fundamental freedoms.”

HRF’s submission on Bolivia called attention to the country’s continued human rights violations against activists and dissidents. Since 2021, the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS)-led government has used “terrorism” charges to persecute civil society leaders who led the 2019 countrywide demonstrations in the wake of Evo Morales’ electoral fraud, as well as leaders from Jeanine Áñez’s interim government. Áñez’s government was also overshadowed by violent incidents in Senkata and Sacaba that resulted in the Bolivian military killing pro-Morales protesters.

As of July 2024, there are more than 250 political prisoners and people persecuted for political reasons in Bolivia — most of them detained since Luis Arce’s administration began in 2021. The government also employs harassment and censorship to silence critics. Both the Morales and Arce MAS administrations have further used violent “shock groups” to break down protests and target political figures.

HRF’s submission on Iraq highlighted the country’s severe human rights violations against activists, journalists, and dissidents who criticize the regime. The Iraqi regime continues to crack down on protesters, notably during the violent 2021 Baghdad Clashes, following Iraq’s parliamentary elections. The regime has failed to hold accountable those responsible for the deaths of over 650 people during the 2019 Tishreen protests that called for political reform, with numerous activists killed or disappeared without effective prosecution. And despite having ratified the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, reports of torture persist in Iraq’s overcrowded prisons.

In its submission on Kazakhstan, HRF emphasized that the country has made limited progress in adhering to its international human rights obligations, documenting serious persisting violations, including arbitrary arrests, torture, and the denial of due process. In 2020, President Tokayev signed a law requiring advance permission for public assemblies, which has resulted in arbitrary denials and arrests. For instance, anti-government protesters were detained before they could demonstrate on Republic Day in both 2022 and 2023. During the Bloody January events of 2022, the regime arbitrarily detained over 10,000 individuals, some of whom have been convicted under vague extremism and terrorism laws. Human rights organizations observed the trials of police officers accused of torturing individuals during Bloody January, noting procedural violations and threats of reprisals against victims by police officers.

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies.

For further comment, please contact [email protected]