Newsroom
OSCE/ODIHR hold roundtable on combating extremism
ALMATY/WARSAW 30 June 2004
ALMATY/WARSAW, 30 June 2004 - A two-day roundtable on combating extremism in Central Asia will start in Almaty on 1 July.
The event, organized by the OSCE Centre in Almaty together with the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), will focus mainly on Kazakhstan and address emerging trends in extremism in the region, assess the threat and emphasise the need to respect human rights when addressing such a threat.
Among the participants will be representatives of state agencies and ministries, political and religious organizations, think-tanks, non-governmental organizations and the international community. They will share experiences and exchange best practices on dealing with extremism, particularly when drafting legislation, which should observe international human rights standards.
Various socio-economic factors, human rights violations and the suppression of religious freedom are some of the elements contributing to the growth of extremism in Central Asia and other parts of the OSCE region.
Some OSCE participating States have already put legislation in place which, while seeking to prohibit extremist organizations, also affects freedom of expression, assembly and association, fair trial and judicial review.
A representative from the Council of Europe will present guidelines on legislation against extremism organizations. One of the speakers will be Dr. Martha Brill Olcott, an expert on Kazakhstan and a senior associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Similar roundtables will be organized in the region in the coming months.
Media representatives are invited for the opening of the roundtable on Thursday, 1 July, at 9.30 in the Ambassador Hotel, Almaty.
The event, organized by the OSCE Centre in Almaty together with the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), will focus mainly on Kazakhstan and address emerging trends in extremism in the region, assess the threat and emphasise the need to respect human rights when addressing such a threat.
Among the participants will be representatives of state agencies and ministries, political and religious organizations, think-tanks, non-governmental organizations and the international community. They will share experiences and exchange best practices on dealing with extremism, particularly when drafting legislation, which should observe international human rights standards.
Various socio-economic factors, human rights violations and the suppression of religious freedom are some of the elements contributing to the growth of extremism in Central Asia and other parts of the OSCE region.
Some OSCE participating States have already put legislation in place which, while seeking to prohibit extremist organizations, also affects freedom of expression, assembly and association, fair trial and judicial review.
A representative from the Council of Europe will present guidelines on legislation against extremism organizations. One of the speakers will be Dr. Martha Brill Olcott, an expert on Kazakhstan and a senior associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Similar roundtables will be organized in the region in the coming months.
Media representatives are invited for the opening of the roundtable on Thursday, 1 July, at 9.30 in the Ambassador Hotel, Almaty.