A/RES/59/206
against Women 2 to the Division for the Advancement of Women of the Department
of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat and the announcement by the
Government of Turkmenistan that it intends to submit the reports due under the
Convention on the Rights of the Child 3 by the end of 2004;
(f) The amendment of 2 November 2004 to the Criminal Code of
Turkmenistan rescinding article 223/1, which stipulated criminal penalties for
unregistered activities of public associations, including non-governmental
organizations;
(g) The invitation by the Government of Turkmenistan to the High
Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, which was extended on 16 November 2004, to visit the
country by the end of 2004;
Expresses its grave concern at the continuing and serious human rights
2.
violations occurring in Turkmenistan, in particular:
(a) The persistence of a governmental policy based on the repression of all
political opposition activities;
(b) The continuing abuse of the legal system through arbitrary detentions,
imprisonment and surveillance of persons who try to exercise their freedom of
expression, assembly and association, and by harassment of their families;
(c) Further restrictions on the freedom of expression and opinion, including
the loss of local retransmissions of Russian language programmes on Radio Mayak,
and serious harassment endured by local correspondents and collaborators of Radio
Liberty;
(d) Continued restrictions on the exercise of the freedom of thought,
conscience, religion and belief;
(e) Continued discrimination by the Government of Turkmenistan against
ethnic minorities in the fields of education and employment and by forced
displacements, despite assurances by the Government that it will stop this
discrimination;
(f) Constraints faced by civil society organizations, including the slow
progress in the registration of non-governmental organizations;
3.
Regrets the decision of the Government of Turkmenistan not to renew the
accreditation for the Head of the Centre of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe at Ashgabat, but hopes that the Turkmen authorities will
cooperate fully with her successor;
4.
Calls upon the Government of Turkmenistan:
(a) To ensure full respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms
and, in this regard, to implement fully the measures set out in Commission on
Human Rights resolutions 2003/11 of 16 April 2003 4 and 2004/12 of 15 April 2004; 5
_______________
2
United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1249, No. 20378.
Ibid., vol. 1577, No. 27531.
4
See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2003, Supplement No. 3 (E/2003/23), chap. II,
sect. A.
5
Ibid., 2004, Supplement No. 3 (E/2004/23), chap. II, sect. A.
3
2