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UUSC condemns the
mounting violence in Kenya and Pakistan and expresses deep concern
for people there who are living in such intense insecurity. We
express our sorrow for the innocent and vulnerable people in these
countries who are trying to survive, but lack the resources to
ensure their own safety. We also condemn the abuse of authority in
both countries that led to the rigged election in Kenya and
contributed to poor security in Pakistan, where the government’s
failure to protect former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in the face
of numerous threats led to her assassination.
As a human-rights organization, we stand in heartfelt solidarity
with our
Kenyan and
Pakistani partners, whose courageous struggle for human rights
has become even more precarious in the wake of flawed electoral
processes and the resulting violence and unrest in both countries.
Despite their significant differences geopolitically and in other
respects, Kenya and Pakistan share one key similarity today: both
are important global actors in the United States-led “War on
Terror.” The crises in Kenya and Pakistan also underscore the fact
that political conflicts not only exacerbate but also result from
weakened human–rights environments, and in both cases the “War On
Terror” has had the effect of closing the legitimate space for the
exercise of civil liberties. Where widespread violations of human
rights occur — including not only violations of civil liberties, but
also rights to just working conditions and wages; the right to
sufficient, safe, accessible, and affordable water; and other rights
particularly at risk in situations of natural disasters and human
conflicts — the resulting economic, political, and social insecurity
will often lead to civil unrest and violence.
We are now seeing this vicious cycle vividly at work in Kenya and
Pakistan.
In each of these countries, the current violence has been
precipitated by a lack of transparent and democratic electoral
processes and public anger and frustration in turn. In both
countries, the long-term manipulation of political and ethnic
tensions has contributed to these crises.
.jpg) In
Kenya, a major humanitarian, political, and economic crisis looms
unless both parties can achieve a just political agreement on the
outcome of elections. The government committed serious abuses
against fair electoral processes. According to a January 3 report in
The Economist, the European Union electoral monitoring commission’s
report was scathing, and E.U. monitors observed people crossing out
vote tallies and writing in higher tallies for incumbent president
Mwai Kibaki in Nairobi. After Kibaki was declared the victor, there
were immediate protests, to which police responded with violence.
According to the BBC, up to 600 Kenyans have been killed and over
250,000 displaced, with unrest continuing in parts of the country.
Many people are unable to obtain their basic needs for food,
shelter, and medical care. Millions of informal economy workers who
survive on their day-to-day earnings are unable to work or provide
for themselves and their families. People are wary of movement,
families are separated, communication is scant, and many
transportation routes have been closed.
Whole areas of Nairobi slums have been burned, destroying people’s
homes and livelihoods, many in communities where our partners work.
Women and girls are at particular risk for being targeted for
violence, with at least one hospital in Nairobi reporting evidence
of an increase in systematic gang rapes. In addition, the police
have violently attacked and shot at peaceful protesters and failed
to protect people who are poor and particularly vulnerable.
Thousands of people are in shelters without adequate water, food, or
sanitation.
 In
Pakistan, since September 2007, judges and lawyers have played an
unprecedented role in calling for a free, fair, and legal election
process. In retaliation, the government violently cracked down on
protests, arresting and detaining hundreds of people and declaring
martial law. The continuing popular protests and government
crackdowns have revealed deep polarization among Pakistanis with
different visions for the nation’s political and social future.
The extreme violence upon Bhutto’s return from self-imposed exile --
the suicide bombings that killed over 130 people at a November 2007
rally for her in Karachi and the numerous attempts on her life --
foreshadowed her assassination on December 27, 2007. These incidents
revealed the intractable divisions that are triggering increased
violence as much as they demonstrated Pakistan’s political
volatility.
As a public figure, Bhutto’s record featured some controversies,
including charges of corruption that marred her stints as prime
minister. Nonetheless, Bhutto was a courageous and vocal female
politician in a country where opportunities for women to participate
in political processes, much less become political leaders, are very
limited. Her voice has now been silenced through assassination.
Since Bhutto’s death, the unrest in major cities such as Karachi,
Islamabad, and Lahore have made everyday life more difficult, as
people’s food supplies run low, travel rendered unsafe, and access
to basic services choked off. Rights organizations in Pakistan,
including UUSC partners, continue to suffer harassment, arrests, and
human-rights violations. Although elections have been postponed for
a month, the current human-rights situation in Pakistan inspires
little hope for just or fair elections.
Up until now, the U.S. government has engaged with these countries
primarily in the context of its own military and economic interests.
UUSC calls on the U.S. government to show real political will and
support fair and just democratic solutions to the flaws that have
marked both nations’ electoral processes. Furthermore, UUSC calls on
the governments of Kenya and Pakistan to take the necessary steps to
create conditions for free and fair elections -- a key component to
building a more transparent, democratic society.
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