HRW: Bush Should Raise Human Rights at Talks with Saakashvili

U.S. President George W. Bush should raise concerns about regression on human rights in Georgia at his meeting in Washington next week with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on June 30.
 
?The Bush administration points to Georgia as a hopeful model for change,? said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. ?But the situation there remains fragile, and there are warning signs of backsliding on human rights.?  

In a letter sent to President Bush, the New York-based influential human rights watchdog called to raise three issues, which, as claimed by the HRW, are of major concern: prison conditions and treatment of prisoners; ?use of lethal force? by law enforcement officers and attacks on the independence of the judiciary.
 
Human Rights Watch pointed to the rise in overcrowding in prisons, increased restrictions on visits by family members and lawyers, and more frequent use of force by the police, including lethal force.
 
Human Rights Watch also questioned the government?s respect for the independence of the judiciary and separation of powers in light of forced resignations and disciplinary proceedings against numerous judges, initiated by the executive. 
 
The watchdog group said that these new policy approaches are apparently part of a government campaign targeting corruption and organized crime, but noted that the human rights violations will have negative consequences and threaten to undermine the credibility of the Saakashvili government?s commitment to guaranteeing the rule of law and human rights. 
 
?The Bush administration has a special relationship with the Georgian government,? said Cartner. ?That shouldn?t exclude constructive, critical dialogue, and it?s time to raise these issues now, before they are entrenched as government policies.?