|
|
Article: Yanukovich's friends; Human rights.(A maverick human-rights outfit)(Viktor Yanukovich)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- December 4, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
A human-rights group that defends dictators
DURING the cold war, the leafy streets of north Oxford were a hotbed of anti-communism. Dons had close links to dissident and emigre outfits and spent their holidays enjoying the frisson of semi-clandestine trips behind the Iron Curtain to help subvert the evil empire. Now, at the Oxford-based British Helsinki Human Rights Group (BHHRG), some veterans of that struggle are playing a rather different role: noisily defending a grim lot of east European politicians against the imperialism of western do-gooders.
At first sight it seems baffling. Characters such as Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia, Alexander Lukashenka ...