Vol. 516 No. 5
8 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the alleged systematic ill-treatment of prisoners in Turkmenistan; and if he will make a statement on the steps, if any, taken by him, as Chairman-in-Office of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, to raise this matter. [8325/00]
The Government is aware of reports of the ill-treatment of prisoners in Turkmenistan. One prisoner has died in custody under suspicious circumstances and others have claimed they were tortured during detention. The situation of human rights in this country, including the treatment of prisoners, is a matter of serious concern. Turkmenistan is a central Asian republic and is not a member of the Council of Europe. However, the Government is following the issue closely, together with partners in the European Union and within the OSCE.
The European Union has raised a number of individual human rights cases with the Government of Turkmenistan. The EU has made clear that it expects Turkmenistan, in accordance with the principles laid down in the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement signed in May 1998, to show that it shares common values such as respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. The EU has indicated in direct contact with the Turkmen authorities, that ratification of the PCA, which to date has been completed by only four EU member states, is likely to remain suspended in the absence of concrete measures to deal with human rights concerns.
The situation of human rights in Turkmenistan is also a serious preoccupation of the OSCE, especially the OSCE centre in Ashgabad which was established in January 1999. However, Turkmenistan is the only country of central Asia which has not signed a memorandum of understanding between the Government and the OSCE Office for Democratic Infrastructure and Human Rights. This would allow for substantial assistance to be provided by the Ashgabad centre in the field of democratisation, rule of law and human rights. The centre continues to make strenuous efforts to promote fundamental reform, but progress remains slow.
The Government strongly supported the OSCE decision to open an office in each of the central Asian republics with a view to assisting the reform process in the region. Last year the Government provided a mini-projects grant from Irish aid of £55,000 to be divided between the five OSCE field offices. This provided £11,000 to the centre in Ashgabad to be spent at the discretion of the head of mission on small, practical projects designed to promote human rights in the country. A report on the use of the funds is expected from the OSCE shortly. The Government will continue to work for the improvement of human rights in Turkmenistan, including the treatment of prisoners. In this regard, it will continue to liaise closely with the OSCE centre and with European Union partners.
Arising from her reply, could the Minister of State give some flavour of what she hopes or anticipates will be the Turkmen reaction to international public opinion? Are there any pressure points? For example, is Turkmenistan a candidate country for membership of the Council of Europe or any other organisation? What more can be done to bring pressure to bear so that there is a response to the international public opinion from the Turkmen authorities?
This country is one of five central Asian republics which were once part of the USSR and it borders Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. At the 90th meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe held in Strasbourg in 1992, Ministers declared the readiness of the Council of Europe to establish appropriate contacts with the republics of central Asia if they so requested.
In 1994, the parliamentary assembly recommended that states whose national territory lay wholly or partly in Europe and whose culture was closely linked with the European culture should be eligible for membership of the Council of Europe. On this basis, the former Soviet Republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia were to be considered eligible provided they clearly indicated their will to be part of Europe. Under the terms of that recommendation, Turkmenistan is not eligible to become a member state of the Council of Europe. However, the parliamentary assembly recommendation also opened the way for suitable co-operation with neighbouring states. In this context, Turkmenistan has participated in a number of the Council's activities, notably those concerned with biological and landscape diversity strategies.
The Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture was established as a monitoring arm of the 1987 European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The convention provides non-judicial preventative machinery in this regard. Human rights is a priority of the Government and we will do everything we can with the international community to pursue legitimate human rights concerns in a constructive spirit of co-operation and dialogue.
