U.S. Says 'Steadfastly' Defends NGO, Amid Increasing Attacks

The U.S. Envoy to the OSCE on Tuesday reacted to increasing government-launched attacks against American NGOs throughout the OSCE region, notably in countries such as Russia, Belarus. and other, with particular target of the U.S. government's international development arm USAID, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

".. We steadfastly defend civil society and its right to speak out and to express its opinion, regardless, of course, of the nationality of those NGOs,"

Ambassador Michael Carpenter told a virtual briefing when responding to TURAN's questions.

He went on to add, "There are civil society organizations in every one of the OSCE participating states. In some places like Russia, Belarus, and some other places, very beleaguered I might add, which is why we think it is so important to be able to give these activists a voice, and which is why – despite Russia’s objection two years in a row now – we have nevertheless managed to find a way to hold our signature annual human rights conference."

This September the OSCE drew roughly 1,500 civil society activists to the Human Dimension Conference in Warsaw.

Carpenter concluded:  "We think it’s vital that both civil society be allowed to continue to operate everywhere in the OSCE region and that the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights also be a strong voice in support of civil society and their fundamental freedoms."