Political repression 1297768 222604939 2008-06-30T06:03:36Z Pink2008jr 7395836 '''Political repression''' is the [[persecution]] of an individual or group for political reasons, particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing their ability to take part in the [[politics|political life]] of [[society]]. Political repression may be represented by [[discrimination|discriminatory]] policies, [[human rights]] violation, [[surveillance abuse]], [[police brutality]], [[imprisonment]], [[Involuntary settlements in the Soviet Union|involuntary settlement]], [[Lishenets|stripping of citizen's rights]], and violent action such as the murder, [[summary execution]]s, [[torture]], [[forced disappearance]] and other [[extrajudicial punishment]] of [[political activist]]s, [[dissident]]s, or general population. ==People's Movements Today== There have been many cases when political repression has been a conflict between the average person and an authorative figure. As mentioned by [[Saswat Pattanayak]] in Movements in Orissa Face Political Repression, 12 tribes were murdered by the state police because of their refusal to allow industrial plants be built on their land. These plants being built required thousands of people to evacuate their homes without any compensation or benefits from the government. As the tribes were informed of the situation on hand, they took charge of a non violent protest against the building of these industrial plants. As they protested, the police were ordered to open fire and murder them all. [http://www.countercurrents.org/hr-pattanayak110107.htm]As these tribes took charge of what they called their home, they were killed just doing what they thought was right. Just as the definition of political repression states, the tribes human rights were violated, their rights were taken away, and they were murdered while fighting for what they so strongly believed in. Another inference when political repression has been a conflict was on May 8, 2007 when police brutally attacked a few lawyers, took them into the suburbs and assaulted them for participating in a protest fighting against the arrest of lawyers who represent activists from the political opposition parties. Police believed they were above the law and could get away with anything e.g. beating the lawyers, refusing to show up to court, not allowing activists the right to a lawyer when in court, etc. In conclusion, the High Court judge ordered the police to give the men lawyers to represent their case. [http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGAFR460152007&lang=e] This shows that no man is above the law no matter what their job. Where political repression is sanctioned and organised by the state, it may constitute [[state terrorism]], [[genocide]], politicide or [[crimes against humanity]]. Systemic and violent political repression is a typical feature of [[dictatorship]]s, [[totalitarianism|totalitarian]] states and similar regimes. In such regimes, acts of political repression may be carried out by [[secret police]] forces, army, [[paramilitary]] groups or [[death squad]]s. Relevant activities have also been found within democratic contexts as well. If political repression is not carried out with the approval of the state, a section of government may still be responsible. An example is the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] [[COINTELPRO]] operations in the [[United States]] between 1956 and 1971. In some states, such as the former [[Soviet Union]], "repression" can be an official term and official [[Article 58 (RSFSR Penal Code)|legal policy of repression]] with respect to internal political opponents of the state. ==Data on Human Rights Violation and State Repression== There are currently a wide variety of databases available which attempt to measure, in a rigorous fashion exactly what governments do against those within their territorial jurisdiction. The list below was created and maintained by Prof. Christian Davenport at the University of Maryland. These efforts vary with regard to the particular form of human rights violation they are concerned with, the source employed for the data collection as well as the spatial and temporal domain of interest. ===Global Coverage=== *[http://ciri.binghamton.edu/ "[[CIRI Human Rights Data Project]], 1981-2006"]. by Profs David Cingranelli and David Richards *[http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=15 "Freedom in the World, 1976-2006"] by Freedom House *[http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/inscr/genocide "Genocide & Politicide, 1955-2005"] by Prof. Barbara Harff and the Political Instability Task Force *[http://www.politicalterrorscale.org/ "Political Terror Scale, 1976-2006] by Prof. Mark Gibney *[http://web.ku.edu/keds/data.dir/atrocities.html "Worldwide Atrocities Dataset, 1995-2007] by the Political Instability Task Force/KEDS *[http://freedom.indiemaps.com/ "World Freedom Atlas, 1990-2006"] - Mapping Program by Prof. Zachary Forest Johnson ===Regional Coverage=== *[http://web.ku.edu/ronfran/data/index.html "European Protest and Coercion, 1980-1995"] by Prof. Ron Francisco ===Selective Coverage of State Repression=== *[http://web.ku.edu/keds/data.html "The Kansas Event Data System (KEDS)"] by Profs. Deborah “Misty” Gerner and Phill Schrodt *[http://garnet.acns.fsu.edu/~whmoore/ipi/ipi.html "Intranational Political Interactions Project, 1979-1992"] by Profs. David Davis and Will Moore *[http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/mar "Minorities at Risk, 1945-2006"] by the Center for International Development and Conflict Management ===Country Coverage of State Repression=== *[http://shr.aaas.org/guatemala/ciidh/data.html "Guatemala, 1960-1996"] by the International Center for Human Rights Research *[http://shr.aaas.org/kosovo/index.html "Kosovo, 1999"] by the Human Rights Data Analysis Group - Benetech *[http://www.christiandavenport.com "Rwanda, 1994"] by Profs. Christian Davenport and Allan Stam - The Genodynamics Project *[http://hrdag.org/resources/SL-TRC_data.html "Sierra Leone, 1991-2000"] by the Human Rights Data Analysis Group - Benetech *[http://www.hrdag.org/resources/timor-leste_data.shtml "Timor-Leste, 1974-1999"] by the Human Rights Data Analysis Group - Benetech *[http://www.christiandavenport.com "United States vs. the Black Panthers, 1967-1973"] by Prof. Christian Davenport - "Rashomon and Repression" *[http://www.christiandavenport.com "United States vs. the Republic of New Africa, 1968-1974] by Prof. Christian Davenport - "Out on the Inside" ==See also== *[[Amnesty International]] *[[Death squad]] *[[Dissident]] *[[Forced disappearance]] *[[Human rights abuse]] *[[National security]] *[[Police state]] *[[Political killing]] *[[Purge]] *[[Secret police]] *[[Worldwide Governance Indicators]] ==Further reading== '''Articles''' * [http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/davenport/jcr2005.pdf Understanding Covert Repressive Action: The Case of the U.S. Government against the Republic of New Africa ('''186kb PDF file''')] by Christian Davenport, Professor, University of Maryland. * [http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/davenport/STATER%7e2.PDF ''State Repression and Political Order''] by Christian Davenport, Professor, University of Maryland. '''Books''' * Davenport, Christian (2007). [http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521864909 ''State Repression and the Domestic Democratic Peace''] New York: Cambridge University Press. * Davenport, Christian, Johnston, Hank and Mueller, Carol (2004). [http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/D/davenport_repression.html ''Repression and Mobilization''] Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. * Donner, Frank J. (1980). '''The Age of Surveillance: The Aims and Methods of America’s Political Intelligence System'''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-394-40298-7 * Donner, Frank J. (1990). '''Protectors of Privilege: Red Squads and Police Repression in Urban America.''' Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-05951-4 *Goldstein, Robert Justin. (1978). '''Political Repression in Modern America, From 1870 to Present'''. Boston, G. K. Hall, Cambridge, MA: Schenkman. ISBN 0-8467-0301-7 * Jensen, Joan M. '''Army Surveillance in America, 1775 - 1980.''' New Haven. Yale University Press. 1991. ISBN 0-300-04668-5. [http://www.jstor.org/view/00218723/di975301/97p0041f/0 Book review] retrieved April 3, 2006. * Talbert, Jr. Roy. '''Negative Intelligence: The Army and the American Left, 1917 - 1941.''' Jackson. University Press of Mississippi, 1991. ISBN 0-87805-495-2. [http://www.jstor.org/view/00218723/di975301/97p0041f/0 Book review] retrieved April 3, 2006. *Irvin, Cynthia L. "Militant Nationlism between movement and party in Ireland and the Basque Country [[Category:Human rights abuses]] [[Category:Persecution]] [[Category:Political repression]] [[ca:Repressió política]] [[de:Repressalie]] [[es:Represión política]] [[ja:抑圧 (社会科学)]] [[ru:Репрессии]] [[sl:Državna represija]] [[sv:Politisk repression]] [[zh:政治迫害]] {{poli-stub}}