• by Thalif Deen (united nations)
• Thursday, February 17, 2011
• Inter Press Service

As the military and the police try to violently suppress demonstrations spreading across Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, Iraq and Iran, a usually reticent U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon is taking a hard line against the oppressive authoritarian regimes in the politically volatile Middle East - and specifically against unrelenting leaders cracking down on protesters.

'I am disturbed by all these violent means of trying to disperse demonstrators,' he told reporters Thursday, in an implicit criticism of at least five U.N. member states where demonstrators have been killed and dozens beaten up, wounded and jailed.

Responding to a question about the attacks on peaceful demonstrators in Bahrain, he condemned the violence and called for the protection of human rights, including freedom of expression and freedom of access to information.

Ban singled out the attacks on journalists, including the harassment of reporters in Egypt, as something unacceptable.

'Their movement and their activities should be fully guaranteed,' he declared.

As the creature of member states, the secretary-general rarely ventures out to criticise them for their political failings.

But Ban has recently broken away from that political no-fly zone to also lambaste the outgoing president of Cote d'Ivoire Laurent Gbagbo for refusing to hand over power to his duly elected successor, Alassane Ouattara, after the November presidential election where the incumbent lost.

Meanwhile, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has been equally hard-hitting: 'Too many peaceful protesters have recently been killed across the Middle East and North Africa.'

'I urge the authorities to immediately cease the use of disproportionate force against peaceful protesters and to release all peaceful demonstrators who have been arrested,' she added.

The London-based Amnesty International (AI) has also come out strongly condemning the killings and the political repression in Bahrain, Yemen and Libya.

The protests are not only against repressive leaders - Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al- Khalifa and Libya's Muammar el-Qaddafi - but also against the absence of rule of law, detention of political dissidents, suppression of press freedom, rigged elections, dynastic rule, widespread nepotism and high-level corruption.

Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa director, lambasted the Bahraini government, accusing the authorities of using 'deadly force' against a legitimate protest.

At least three demonstrators, and possibly as many as six, may have been killed so far, as the body count continues to rise.

The Bahraini authorities must carry out a full impartial investigation into the killings 'against peaceful protesters, including families with children,' he said.

Smart questioned whether the use of deadly force was justified and said those who gave the orders who 'must be brought to justice'.

Philip Luther, deputy director of AI's Middle East and North Africa Programme, said Yemenis have a legitimate right to freedom of expression, 'and assaults against both them and journalists covering their protests are totally unacceptable.'

According to AI, cameramen for Associated Press (AP) Al- Jazeera and Al-Arabiya were beaten up by attackers who broke their cameras.

At least four men have been killed and dozens injured since the six-day protests continued in Yemen.

According to AI, there are unconfirmed reports of at least 12 people, or possibly more, who have been killed in the past two days.

In a statement released Wednesday, the secretary-general said that across North Africa and the Middle East, people are standing up to voice their legitimate aspirations. Civil society and young people have led the way, he said.

'Each country is unique. Each situation is different. But there are also common challenges in the region and important principles to uphold,' Ban said.

Throughout this period, he stressed, the United Nations has been clear and consistent in supporting basic human rights and freedoms.

He also said that in the case of Egypt, where incumbent President Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power last week following mass demonstrations, the United Nations stands ready to provide electoral assistance when the country is ready to hold parliamentary and presidential elections later this year.

Ban said the United Nations has been urging leaders in the region, as elsewhere around the world, to listen attentively to the people and to respond to their legitimate aspirations.

'I will be reaching out again in the days ahead to leaders in the region to reiterate that message,' he said.

'I will say it once again: the situation calls for bold reforms, not repression. Sustainable progress can take root in places where people are empowered, where governments are responsive, where growth is inclusive,' the secretary- general declared.

© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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