( Editorial: --> 6810 )
GENEVA, Jan 23 (Hina)- Future of human rights in Croatia will depend
on the efficiency of legal mechanisms for the protection of human
and minority rights, says the final report by Elizabeth Rehn, the
former UN Human Rights Rapporteur for the former Yugoslavia,
released by the UN Geneva HQ.
After two years as a monitor of human rights in Croatia, Rehn
stresses that there are good reasons for optimism.
Rehn quotes positive steps that have been so far taken by the
Croatian Government, i.e. membership in the Council of Europe,
signing of EU human rights and minority rights conventions,
bolstering of the Ombudsman's office, improved co-operation with
the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia,
founding of a confidence building committee.
Elizabeth Rehn stresses that the frankness of Croatia's commitment
to restoration of confidence should be reflected in the
efficiency of the Croatian police and maintenance of security in
the Croatian Danube region in the months following the departure of
UNTAES.
Special Rapporteur says that security in the former occupied areas
has considerably improved, in spite of the persistence of some
forms of human rights violations.
According to Elizabeth Rehn, the return of Serb refugees is slow,
"considering that since the military operations in 1995, only 10
per cent of the Serbs have come back to Croatia". She singled out
poor economic conditions as one of the reasons for small number of
returnees.
As far as the electronic media are concerned, they are still
controlled by the ruling party, stresses Rehn, who is concerned
about legal prosecution of several independent journalists.
Special Rapporteur said she was optimistic regarding freedom of
expression, thanks to the existence of independent newspapers, and
commended the foundation of the Forum 21 by a group of journalists
from the electronic media.
Elizabeth Rehn, who has been since nominated the UN Envoy to BH,
suggests that the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for Croatia, BH
and the FRY should be extended, because the causes of human rights
problems in those countries and methods for their resolution are
still interrelated.
(Hina) jn mr
231944 MET jan 98
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