60 aastat inimõiguste deklaratsioonist. Kus on Eesti?
Euroopa Liidu välispoliitikajuhi Javier Solana eriesindaja inimõiguste alal Riina Kionka ütles hommikul Vikerraadio uudistes, et Eesti ei paista inimõiguste teemaga eriti silma. Ei halvas, ega heas. Retoorika siseriiklikele probleemidele on sama, mis 90ndatel aastatel, ning välisriikidega me eriti ei tegele. Nõustun.
Mind teevad need mõlemad aspektid murelikuks. Jätkuvalt on meie imago väljapoole kui riik, kellel on vene vähemusega mingid (suured) probleemid. See teema tõstatus näiteks ka paar nädalat tagasi vestlustes Briti parlamendi alamkoja liikmetega. Kinnitasin siis, et meie probleemid vähemusega on tegelikult väiksemad, kui paljudes Euroopa teistes riikides ning suur arv kodakondsuseta või vene kodakondsusega isikuid Eestis on pigem selgeks tõestuseks, et kohtleme kõiki alalisi elanikke võrdselt.
Arvan, et mitte-kodanike teema paistab suure probleemina seetõttu, et me ise teeme sellest suure probleemi. Mina olen uhke selle üle, et meie liberaalsed seadused tagavad kõigile elanikele (olenemata kodakondsusest) seaduse ees võrdsed võimalused (kui valitavasse kogusse kandideerimine ja Riigikokku valimine välja arvata). Eesti vähemuste poliitika ei ole probleem, vaid pigem eeskuju. Meie probleemid isikuvabaduste ja inimõigustega asuvad teistes valdkondades ning nendest olen ma ka mitmeid kordi kirjutanud.
Teine küsimus on, et kui aktiivselt me tegeleme inimõiguste küsimustega teistes riikides. Endistest ida-bloki riikidest paistab ereda tähena vaid Tšehhi, mis suuresti tänu Vaclav Haveli aktiivsusele tegeleb inimõiguste kaitsmise ja dissidentide toetamisega kõikjal maailmas. Mina tahan, et Eesti astuks Tšehhi kõrvale.
Toon siinkohal ära Inimõiguste Deklaratsiooni 60ndale aastapäeva puhul inimõiguste olukorda Hiina Rahvavabariigis puudutava teate:
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a diverse group of 303 Chinese writers, intellectuals, lawyers, journalists, retired Party officials, workers, peasants, and businessmen have issued an open letter, "08 Charter," calling for legal reforms, democracy and protection of human rights in China.
On December 8, 2008, at 11:00 p.m., Beijing public security officers, armed with a criminal detention notice, a subpoena, and search warrants, took away two of the individuals who signed the Charter, Liu Xiaobo and Zhang Zhuhua, ransacked their homes, and confiscated computers, books, and personal belongings. Zhang was released after 12 hours of interrogation. According to Zhang, Liu is being criminally detained on suspicion of "inciting subversion of state power."
The Charter sets forth 19 specific recommendations, including: constitutional reform; separation of administrative, legislative and judicial powers; freedom of association, expression, and religion; and citizen education that encompasses universal values and civil rights. The recommendations address current reform debates, and promote many rights already recognized in Chinese law and that constitute part of China's international human rights obligations, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), signed by the Chinese government 10 years ago, still pending ratification.
By detaining these individuals on the eve of the international Human Rights Day, the Chinese government has exposed the emptiness of the rhetoric in its recently announced Human Rights Action Plan, and makes a mockery of the official slogan that people are the foundation [yi ren wei ben] of China's development and of the official claim that "human rights work in China has already achieved historic progress." This kind of reaction to the legitimate appeals of Chinese citizens to the government sends an unsettling message that a crackdown for next year may be already underway.
The year 2009 will mark several politically sensitive anniversaries: the 20th anniversary of the June 4, 1989 crackdown, the 50th anniversary of the exile of the Dalai Lama, and the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
For more information on Liu Xiaobo and writings by him, see:
"Rights Crackdown Intensifies a Month before the Games," July 8, 2008, http://hrichina.org/public/contents/63047;
"Chinese Scholars and Activists Demand Equality for Migrant Workers in China," February 14, 2008, http://hrichina.org/public/contents/47369;
Liu Xiaobo, "Further Questions About Child Slavery in ChinaÆs Kilns," China Rights Forum, 2007, No.4, http://hrichina.org/public/PDFs/CRF.4.2007/CRF-2007-4_Slavery.pdf;
Liu Xiaobo, "Beijing's Human Rights Exhibition," China Rights Forum, 2007, No.1, http://hrichina.org/public/PDFs/CRF.1.2007/CRF-2007-1_Exhibition.pdf;
Liu Xiaobo, "Remembering June 4th for China's Future," China Rights Forum, 2005, No.4, http://hrichina.org/public/PDFs/CRF.4.2005/CRF-2005-4_June4.pdf;
"HRIC Statement on UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Visit to China," August 31, 2005, http://www.hrichina.org/public/contents/24500;
Liu Xiaobo, "Atop a Volcano," China Rights Forum, 2005, No.1, http://www.hrichina.org/public/PDF s/CRF.1.2005/1.2005AtopAVolcano.pdf.
For more information about efforts to commemorate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, see:
"Two Guizhou Rights Activists Detained," December 5, 2008, http://hrichina.org/public/contents/83573;
"Guizhou Police Threaten Rights Group Over Commemoration of 60th Anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights," November 13, 2008, http://hrichina.org/public/contents/75475;
"Activist Issues Statement Urging International Attention to Ban of Human Rights Day in Guizhou," January 25, 2008, http://hrichina.org/public/contents/47218;
"Case Update: Buddhist Monk Shengguan Prevented From Attending Human Rights Conference," December 10, 2007, http://hrichina.org/public/contents/45802.
