Human Rights Watch. lawyers groups. or others. not only bring attention to abuses but also gauge governmental attitudes on human rights Issues. Because Investigators require the permission and cooperation of host authorities. governments demonstrate their good faith in addressing possible abuses by entering Into cooperative relations with investigating delegations. The Helsinki Commission has In the past been called upon to assist groups in accessing prisons. police stations. refugee camps. and other official premises. CSCE delegations have themselves undertaken such Investigations in Turkey. Eastern Europe. and Republics of the former Soviet Union. Today. however. for the first time I have the unfortunate distinction of calling upon my own Government to reverse its decision to deny permission for an important investigation. Amnesty International has been denied permission to investigate the asylum processing facilities for Haitian refugees In Guantanamo. Cuba. Official responses to their request to "monitor government asylum procedures in light of international refugee standards" remind me of evasive doublespeak the Commission routinely heard from Communist authodties. The State Department deferred judgment to the Department of Defense. yet added that logistical problems made the visit unwise. The Department of Justice. citing ongoing litigation concerning the Haitlans. declined to comment on the proposed vist.
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asylum processing refugee refugees