<a href=breakingnews.iol.ie>URL 01/04/2003 - 06:04:48 The US State Department criticised Israeli and Palestinian authorities for widespread abuses in their conflict, and denounced China for what it said was a long list of rights violations. In its annual human rights report released on Monday, the State Department said many supporters of the US-led war effort in Iraq had below par rights records in 2002. Uzbekistan earned a “very poor” rating although the study acknowledged some notable improvements. In Eritrea, the report said, “the government’s poor human rights record worsened, and it continued to commit serious abuses.” Qatar and Kuwait, two of the countries most identified with the war against Iraq, were said to be generally respectful of the rights of citizens. Introducing the report during a brief meeting with reporters, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the US-led coalition in Iraq is liberating that country from a “ruthless tyranny that has shown utter contempt for human life.” He vowed to help the Iraqi people create a “representative democracy that respects the rights of all of its citizens.” The report, covering almost 200 countries, said respect for human rights was generally good in Latin America but it listed six countries where rights conditions were listed as “poor” – Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador and Venezuela. On Israel, the report said the country’s overall human rights record in the occupied territories remained poor, and worsened in several areas as it continued to commit “numerous, serious human rights abuses.” “Security forces killed at least 990 Palestinians and two foreign nationals and injured 4,382 Palestinians and other persons during the year, including innocent bystanders,” the report said. It said Israeli security forces targeted and killed at least 37 Palestinian terror suspects. “Israeli forces undertook some of these targeted killings in crowded areas when civilian casualties were likely, killing 25 bystanders, including 13 children,” the report said. It noted that the Israeli government said that it made every effort to reduce civilian casualties during these operations. The report also criticised the Palestinian Authority’s rights record. It said many members of Palestinian security services and the Fatah faction of the Palestine Liberation Organisation participated with civilians and terrorist groups in violent attacks against Israeli settlers, other civilians and soldiers. “The PLO and PA have not complied with most of their commitments, notably those relating to the renunciation of violence and terrorism, taking responsibility for all PLO elements and disciplining violators,” it said. Although there was no conclusive evidence that the most senior PLO or PA leaders gave prior approval for these acts, the report said some leaders endorsed such acts in principle in speeches and interviews. On China, the report said abuses included “instances of extrajudicial killings, torture and mistreatment of prisoners, forced confessions, arbitrary arrest and detention, lengthy incommunicado detention and denial of due process.” At the same time, the report credited the government with some positive steps, including the release of a number of prominent dissidents and the granting of permission for senior representatives of the Dalai Lama to visit the country. The administration normally attempts to censure China on human rights grounds at the annual meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva. The meeting is now in its third week, and Powell declined to say whether Washington will introduce a China resolution at the commission meeting. In Pakistan, a key ally in the war on terrorism, the report said the government’s rights record remained poor. “In general police continued to commit serious abuses with impunity,” it said.

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WASHINGTON, March 31, 2003  (CBS/AP)

(AP) The State Department criticized Israeli and Palestinian authorities Monday for widespread abuses in their conflict, and denounced China for what it said was a long list of rights violations.

In its annual human rights report, the State Department said many supporters of the U.S.-led war effort in Iraq had subpar rights records in 2002.

Uzbekistan earned a "very poor" rating although the study acknowledged some notable improvements. In Eritrea, the report said, "the government's poor human rights record worsened, and it continued to commit serious abuses."

Qatar and Kuwait, two of the countries most identified with the war against Iraq, were said to be generally respectful of the rights of citizens.

Introducing the report during a brief meeting with reporters, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq is liberating that country from a "ruthless tyranny that has shown utter contempt for human life." He vowed to help the Iraqi people create a "representative democracy that respects the rights of all of its citizens."

The report, covering almost 200 countries, said respect for human rights was generally good in Latin America but it listed six countries where rights conditions were listed as "poor" -- Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador and Venezuela.

On Israel, the report said the country's overall human rights record in the occupied territories remained poor, and worsened in several areas as it continued to commit "numerous, serious human rights abuses."

"Security forces killed at least 990 Palestinians and two foreign nationals and injured 4,382 Palestinians and other persons during the year, including innocent bystanders," the report said.

It said Israeli security forces targeted and killed at least 37 Palestinian terror suspects.

"Israeli forces undertook some of these targeted killings in crowded areas when civilian casualties were likely, killing 25 bystanders, including 13 children," the report said.

It noted that the Israeli government said that it made every effort to reduce civilian casualties during these operations.

The report also criticized the Palestinian Authority's rights record.

It said many members of Palestinian security services and the Fatah faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization participated with civilians and terrorist groups in violent attacks against Israeli settlers, other civilians and soldiers.

"The PLO and PA have not complied with most of their commitments, notably those relating to the renunciation of violence and terrorism, taking responsibility for all PLO elements and disciplining violators," it said.

Although there was no conclusive evidence that the most senior PLO or PA leaders gave prior approval for these acts, the report said some leaders endorsed such acts in principle in speeches and interviews.

On China, the report said abuses included "instances of extrajudicial killings, torture and mistreatment of prisoners, forced confessions, arbitrary arrest and detention, lengthy incommunicado detention and denial of due process."

At the same time, the report credited the government with some positive steps, including the release of a number of prominent dissidents and the granting of permission for senior representatives of the Dalai Lama to visit the country.

The administration normally attempts to censure China on human rights grounds at the annual meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva. The meeting is now in its third week, and Powell declined on Monday to say whether Washington will introduce a China resolution at the commission meeting.

In Pakistan, a key ally in the war on terrorism, the report said the government's rights record remained poor. "In general police continued to commit serious abuses with impunity," it said.

Posted on Mon, Mar. 31, 2003 GEORGE GEDDA Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The State Department criticized Israeli and Palestinian authorities Monday for widespread abuses in their conflict, and denounced China for what it said was a long list of rights violations.

In its annual human rights report, the State Department said many supporters of the U.S.-led war effort in Iraq had subpar rights records in 2002.

Uzbekistan earned a "very poor" rating although the study acknowledged some notable improvements. In Eritrea, the report said, "the government's poor human rights record worsened, and it continued to commit serious abuses."

Qatar and Kuwait, two of the countries most identified with the war against Iraq, were said to be generally respectful of the rights of citizens.

Introducing the report during a brief meeting with reporters, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq is liberating that country from a "ruthless tyranny that has shown utter contempt for human life." He vowed to help the Iraqi people create a "representative democracy that respects the rights of all of its citizens."

The report, covering almost 200 countries, said respect for human rights was generally good in Latin America but it listed six countries where rights conditions were listed as "poor" -- Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador and Venezuela.

On Israel, the report said the country's overall human rights record in the occupied territories remained poor, and worsened in several areas as it continued to commit "numerous, serious human rights abuses."

"Security forces killed at least 990 Palestinians and two foreign nationals and injured 4,382 Palestinians and other persons during the year, including innocent bystanders," the report said.

It said Israeli security forces targeted and killed at least 37 Palestinian terror suspects.

"Israeli forces undertook some of these targeted killings in crowded areas when civilian casualties were likely, killing 25 bystanders, including 13 children," the report said.

It noted that the Israeli government said that it made every effort to reduce civilian casualties during these operations.

The report also criticized the Palestinian Authority's rights record.

It said many members of Palestinian security services and the Fatah faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization participated with civilians and terrorist groups in violent attacks against Israeli settlers, other civilians and soldiers.

"The PLO and PA have not complied with most of their commitments, notably those relating to the renunciation of violence and terrorism, taking responsibility for all PLO elements and disciplining violators," it said.

Although there was no conclusive evidence that the most senior PLO or PA leaders gave prior approval for these acts, the report said some leaders endorsed such acts in principle in speeches and interviews.

On China, the report said abuses included "instances of extrajudicial killings, torture and mistreatment of prisoners, forced confessions, arbitrary arrest and detention, lengthy incommunicado detention and denial of due process."

At the same time, the report credited the government with some positive steps, including the release of a number of prominent dissidents and the granting of permission for senior representatives of the Dalai Lama to visit the country.

The administration normally attempts to censure China on human rights grounds at the annual meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva. The meeting is now in its third week, and Powell declined on Monday to say whether Washington will introduce a China resolution at the commission meeting.

In Pakistan, a key ally in the war on terrorism, the report said the government's rights record remained poor. "In general police continued to commit serious abuses with impunity," it said.

<a href=www.heraldtribune.com>By MITCH STACY Associated Press Writer

In the back room of a storefront office, steel shelves are crammed floor to ceiling with pacemakers and other medical equipment that soon will be helping sick hearts keep beating around the world. The aptly named charity Heartbeat International works with Rotary Clubs worldwide to match donated pacemakers with poor people who need them and surgeons who can implant them. Those who get the lifesaving devices couldn't even begin to pay for them otherwise. But like many charities in these uncertain economic times, Heartbeat International finds itself struggling to make ends meet. Quietly responsible for providing about 6,000 pacemakers since its beginnings in 1984, the charity has grown too big for its own good. Now maintaining 46 "pacemaker banks" in 28 countries, Heartbeat International is having trouble covering administration costs for all the devices that need to be shipped and implanted. "The financial situation is such that we're in serious jeopardy of reaching our 20th birthday in October 2004," said executive director Wil Mick. Administration costs are relatively modest because pacemakers and the services of hospitals and surgeons are donated, Mick said. Heartbeat International pays about $250 for each set of lead wires that connect the pacemaker to the heart, and the cost of getting the devices where they need to be. But the demand for them is so great now that the charity has been forced to reinvigorate fund-raising efforts, trying to raise $2 million over the next two years. It reorganized its board this spring with a sharper focus on raising money and is rallying its international Rotary partners to be more aggressive about seeking donations in their communities. Officials are concerned but not panicky. "This is the greatest challenge we face after 18 years," said Ramon P. Camugun, a Rotarian in the Philippines and a new board member who oversees Heartbeat International's operations in Asia, Africa, Europe. "In the past, there was much concern with improving the knowledge of doctors in the program, but there was not much time given to raising funds for the program. We knew we had to get reorganized." The mission was begun by an idealistic Guatemalan cardiologist, Dr. Ferderico Alfaro, who was haunted by the death of a 17-year-old patient who needed a pacemaker and couldn't afford one. Vowing to never let it happen again, he teamed with his Rotary Club in Guatemala to establish the first pacemaker bank. He started with more than 50 donated pacemakers, many of them harvested from patients who had died. When Dr. Henry McIntosh, chairman of the Department of Medicine at Baylor, visited his former student in Guatemala in 1983, he saw the potential for extending the effort into developing countries worldwide. "I was impressed with his sincerity," said McIntosh, now retired and living in Lakeland, where Heartbeat International was founded. Because of potential problems with used pacemakers, Heartbeat International persuaded manufacturers to begin donating new devices whose "use-by" dates were nearing. Pacemakers carry 10-year batteries, so the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires they be sold by a certain date or destroyed. Medtronics and St. Jude Medical, the two largest manufacturers, now donate 300 to 400 pacemakers and related equipment every year worth as much as $2 million. The half-dollar-sized devices are implanted just under the skin on the chest, with two leads snaking into chambers of the heart. Having a pacemaker implanted usually costs between $22,000 to $46,000. After going to the hospital with chest pains, 19-year-old Rama Kumari of Baldi, India, got a pacemaker from Heartbeat International in 1999. The family was so poor they could barely afford to eat. Today she's living a normal life. Giovanni Schwalm of Quilpuc, Chile, was born in 1996 with heart problems that put her in intensive care at 3 months old. The charity provided a pacemaker around Christmas that year, and she was home recovering on New Year's Day. She's now a healthy, active little girl. Doctors said 4-year-old Alexandra Repeto of Puerto Cavello, Venezuala, wouldn't live two weeks with a pacemaker after she was diagnosed with heart problems in 1999. On the 10th day, someone contacted the charity, which immediately provided one and arranged to have it implanted. Alexandra recovered. The availability of the donated devices and demand for them led Heartbeat International to establish 11 new pacemaker banks in the past five years, expanding during that time into Russia, Brazil, Suriname, Turkey and Venezuela. Those involved with Heartbeat International say its benefits go far beyond saving lives. And they're hoping the new moneymaking efforts will keep the charity's heart pumping well past the two-decade mark next year. "We call our pacemakers peacemakers," McIntosh said. "We think we are establishing international goodwill and lasting peace through this program. "It shows that doctors, representatives of the (pacemaker) industry and leaders of an organization like Rotary are able to pull together and do something worthwhile for the world."

On the Net: Heartbeat International:

Posted: Thursday, March 20, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

The Pan American Health Organization and the Inter American Development Bank (IADB) place Venezuela among the top three places in its Latin America crime ratings table.

Venezuela is singled out this year not just because of the notable hike in crime rates but more so for the government’s passivity in setting up crime prevention policies. The report contrasts Venezuela with the efforts other countries have put into prevention measures aimed at lowering or controlling their crime rates.

Peru, for example has adopted a street and abandoned children policy, Colombia has its Carrot Plan cutting down on opening and closing times of nightclubs and bars. Venezuela has had 5 Interior & Justice Ministers in two years, more than 9,000 citizens were murdered last year and the authorities prefer to keep the matter of crime prevention under wraps.