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Inside the State Department's FY2008 Budget Request:
An Analysis of U.S. Military Aid Appropriated to Human Rights Abusing Governments through the Foreign Military Financing Program (FMF)
Introduction and Overview
Foreign Military Financing (FMF)
The United States' government provides military aid and training to
many countries every year. One important fund administered by the
State Department is the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program. FMF
funds are congressionally appropriated grants requested by the
Executive branch and given to foreign governments to finance the
purchase of American-made weapons, services and trainings. Recent
purchases include everything from modern communications systems, naval
radar and navigation systems, M-14 rifles and ammunition, as well as
F-15 fighter jets. The FMF is one of multiple programs through which the U.S. government
arms and trains foreign militaries. These programs are administered
primarily through both the State Department and the Defense
Department. Though some human rights conditions theoretically apply to
State Department assistance, no such conditions restrict the aid from
the Defense Department (DoD). Also, unlike the FMF grant levels
outlined below, the details of the DoD assistance programs are well
hidden from public view and Congressional oversight. For more details
on State Department administered military aid and training visit:
http://www.state.gov/t/pm/c17251.htm Human rights eligibility requirements for FMF program
To receive FMF funding, countries must meet the eligibility
requirements as outlined in the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) and the
Arms Export Control Act (AECA). Some basic requirements include that
the transfer "will strengthen security of the U.S. and promote world
peace" and that the country "must not transfer the assistance to a
third country or...use the assistance for purposes other than those for
which it was provided." In regards to human rights, section 502B of the FAA, enacted in 1974
and strengthened in 1976, states that Congress can block FMF funding to
a government if it believes the country has engaged "in a consistent
pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human
rights." Such violations are defined as the "torture or cruel, inhuman,
or degrading treatment or punishment, prolonged detention without
charges and trial, causing the disappearance of persons by the
abduction and clandestine detention of those persons, and other
flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty or the security of
person." Partly due to section 502B of the FAA, the U.S. State Department
publishes comprehensive, annual "Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices" that detail the human rights records of every country around
the globe. According to the State Department, these reports analyze
each government's record on, "...internationally recognized individual,
civil, political, and worker rights, as set forth in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights," as well as any improvements from year to
year. Discrepancies between human rights reports and FMF awards
The State Department's human rights reports serve as a tool for
Congress to use in judging whether or not countries meet the human
rights standards established by the FAA. The repeal or blocking of
funds rarely occurs, and in reality, many countries with poor human
rights records continue to receive FMF funds. However, on certain
occasions Congress has halted FMF funds in response to egregious
abuses. For example, Congress cut off FMF funding to Indonesia in 1992
because of the 1991 Santa Cruz Massacre in which the Indonesian
military fired on peaceful demonstrators in East Timor. Since then,
FMF funding to Indonesia has been restored. The following analysis compares the details of the 2005 and 2006 State
Department reports and the FY2008 FMF funding requests for the
countries with the worst human rights records. The State Department
has determined that some countries that receive FMF funding, such as
the Philippines, Bulgaria, Jordan, Kenya, Ghana and others, "generally
respect human rights" but that human rights abuses still remain to a
varying degree. This analysis does not cover these countries.
Country by Country Analysis:
FMF Funds Compared to Human Rights Records
Sources:
Note on FMF numbers: "Actual" denotes the amount of money Congress
actually appropriated for the FMF grant. "Request" is the amount the
Executive branch has asked for in its annual budget request. The FY07
numbers match those from FY06 because Congress maintained FMF funding
at the same level through a continuing resolution as opposed to the
normal appropriations process. The FY08 actual numbers will be decided
in the coming months through the appropriations process.
Africa
Democratic Republic of Congo:
2005 Human Rights Report: "In all areas of the country, the human
rights record remained poor, and numerous serious abuses were
committed; however, there were some improvements during the year."
2006 Human Rights Report: "In all areas of the country, the human
rights record remained poor, and numerous serious abuses were
committed." Reported abuses include: unlawful killings; disappearances, torture,
rape, arbitrary arrests; detention by security forces; harsh and
life-threatening conditions in prison and detention facilities;
prolonged pretrial detention; lack of an independent and effective
judiciary; arbitrary interference with privacy; recruitment and
retention of child soldiers; forced labor by adults and children.
FY06 FMF Actual: $0
FY07 FMF Actual: $0
FY08 FMF Request: $600,000
Djibouti:
2005 Human Rights Report: "The government's human rights record
remained poor, and it continued to commit serious abuses; however, the
government made improvements in some areas."
2006 Human Rights Report: "The government's human rights record remained poor, and it continued to commit serious abuses."
Reported abuses include: abridgement of citizens' rights to change
their government; abuse of prisoners and detainees; harsh prison
conditions; official impunity; arbitrary arrest and detention;
prolonged pretrial detention; interference with privacy rights and
restrictions on freedoms of press, assembly, and association; the use
of force to disperse demonstrators and strikers; violence and
discrimination against women; female genital mutilation (FGM);
discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, nationality, and clan
background; restrictions on unions and harassment of union leaders.
FY06 FMF Actual: $3.96 million
FY07 FMF Actual: $3.96 million
FY08 FMF Request: $3.2 million
Ethiopia:
2005 Human Rights Report: "Although there were some improvements, the
government's human rights record remained poor and worsened in some
areas."
2006 Human Rights Report: "Human rights abuses reported during the year
included: limitation on citizens' right to change their government
during the most recent elections; unlawful killings, and beating,
abuse, and mistreatment of detainees and opposition supporters by
security forces; poor prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and
detention, particularly those suspected of sympathizing with or being
members of the opposition; detention of thousands without charge and
lengthy pretrial detention; infringement on citizens' privacy rights
and frequent refusal to follow the law regarding search warrants;
restrictions on freedom of the press; arrest, detention, and harassment
of journalists for publishing articles critical of the government;
restrictions on freedom of assembly; limitations on freedom of
association; violence and societal discrimination against women and
abuse of children; female genital mutilation (FGM); exploitation of
children for economic and sexual purposes; trafficking in persons;
societal discrimination against persons with disabilities and religious
and ethnic minorities; and government interference in union activities."
FY06 FMF Actual: $1.98 million
FY07 FMF Actual: $1.98 million
FY08 FMF Request: $850,000
Nigeria:
2005 Human Rights Report: "The government's human rights record
remained poor, and government officials at all levels continued to
commit serious abuses."
2006 Human Rights Report: "The government's human rights record
remained poor, and government officials at all levels continued to
commit serious abuses."
Reported abuses include: the abridgement of citizens' right to change
their government; politically motivated and extrajudicial killings by
security forces; the use of excessive force including torture, by
security forces; vigilante killings; impunity; beatings of prisoners,
detainees, and suspected criminals; harsh and life threatening prison
conditions; arbitrary arrest and prolonged pretrial detention;
executive influence on the judiciary and judicial corruption;
infringement on privacy rights; restrictions on freedom of speech,
press, assembly, religion, and movement; domestic violence and
discrimination against women; female genital mutilation (FGM); child
abuse and child sexual exploitation; societal violence, ethnic,
regional, and religious discrimination; trafficking in persons for the
purposes of prostitution and forced labor.
FY06 FMF Actual: $990,000
FY07 FMF Actual: $990,000
FY08 FMF Request: $1.35 million
Sudan:
2005 Human Rights Report: "The government's human rights record
remained poor, and there were numerous serious problems, including
evidence of continuing genocide in Darfur, for which the government and
janjaweed continued to bear responsibility."
2006 Human Rights Report: "The government's human rights record
remained poor, and there were numerous serious problems, including
evidence of continuing genocide in Darfur, for which the government and
janjaweed continued to bear responsibility."
Reported abuses include: abridgement of citizens' rights to change
their government; extrajudicial and other unlawful killings by
government forces and other government-aligned groups throughout the
country; torture, beatings, rape and other cruel, inhumane treatment or
punishment by security forces; harsh prison conditions, arbitrary
arrest and detention, including incommunicado detention of suspected
government opponents; prolonged pretrial detention; executive
interference with the judiciary and denial of due process; forced
military conscription of underage men; obstruction of the delivery of
humanitarian assistance; infringement on citizens' right to privacy,
freedoms of speech, press, assembly, association, religion, and
movement; the harassment of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and of
local and international human rights and humanitarian organizations;
violence and discrimination against women including the practice of
female genital mutilation (FGM); child abuse, including sexual violence
and recruitment as child soldiers, particularly in Darfur; trafficking
in persons; discrimination and violence against ethnic minorities;
denial of workers' rights, and forced labor, including child labor, by
security forces and both aligned and non-aligned militias in Southern
Sudan and Darfur.
FY06 FMF Actual: $0
FY07 FMF Actual: $0
FY08 FMF Request: $100,000
East Asia and the Pacific Rim
Cambodia:
2005 Human Rights Report: "...the government's human rights record
worsened, as the country's fragile democracy suffered several setbacks,
particularly in the areas of political participation and freedom of
speech."
2006 Human Rights Report: "The government's human rights record remained poor."
Reported abuses include: extrajudicial killings; failure by government
authorities to adhere to the rule of law; detainee abuse to extract
confessions; harsh prison conditions; arbitrary arrests and prolonged
pretrial detention; denial of the right to a fair trial; forced
evictions; restricted freedom of speech and press through the use of
defamation and disinformation suits; endemic corruption in the
executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government;
trafficking in women and children; antiunion activity by employers and
weak enforcement of labor laws; child labor.
FY06 FMF Actual: $990,000
FY07 FMF Actual: $990,000
FY08 FMF Request: $200,000
Indonesia:
2005 Human Rights Report: "There were improvements in the human rights
situation during the year and, although significant problems remained
particularly in areas of separatist conflict, the end of the country's
long‑running internal conflict in Aceh Province was a major step
forward."
2006 Human Rights Report: "The government generally has been unable to
adequately address serious human rights abuses committed in the past.
Inadequate resources, weak leadership, and limited accountability
contributed to continued abuses by security force personnel, although
with sharply reduced frequency and gravity than under past governments."
Reported abuses include: unlawful killings by security force personnel,
terrorists, vigilante groups, and mobs; torture; harsh prison
conditions; arbitrary detentions; a corrupt judicial system;
warrantless searches; infringements on free speech; restrictions on
peaceful assembly; interference with freedom of religion by private
parties, sometimes with complicity of local officials; intercommunal
religious violence; violence and sexual abuse against women and
children; trafficking in persons; failure to enforce labor standards
and violations of worker rights, including forced child labor.
FY06 FMF Actual: $990,000
FY07 FMF Actual: $990,000
FY08 FMF Request: $15.7 million
Tonga:
2005 Human Rights Report: "Although the government made some strides in
protecting human rights during the year, its human rights record
remained deficient."
2006 Human Rights Report: "The country's human rights record remained
deficient. Citizens lacked the ability to change their government."
Reported abuses: Police and defense force abuses of some persons
arrested under a state of emergency decree following a major riot in
the capital of Nuku'alofa on November 16, which occurred after
initially peaceful political demonstrations turned violent. There was
also severe, temporary detention center overcrowding as a result of the
post-riot arrests. A member of Parliament (MP) was charged with
sedition when exercising his right to free speech. Government
corruption was a problem, and discrimination against women continued.
FY06 FMF Actual: $248,000
FY07 FMF Actual: $248,000
FY08 FMF Request: $200,000
Europe and Eurasia
Armenia:
2005 Human Rights Record: "Although there were some improvements in
some areas, the government's human rights record remained poor and
serious problems remained."
2006 Human Rights Record: "The government's human rights record remained poor, and serious problems remained."
Reported abuses include: citizens unable freely to change their
government; authorities beat pretrial detainees; the national security
service and the national police force acting with impunity; arbitrary
arrests and detentions; cramped, unhealthy prison conditions, although
slowly improving; restrictions on citizens' privacy, freedom of the
press, and freedom of assembly; restricted religious freedom;
trafficking in persons; discrimination against persons with
disabilities; societal harassment of homosexuals.
FY06 FMF Actual: $3.96 million
FY07 FMF Actual: $3.96 million
FY08 FMF Request: $3 million
Azerbaijan:
2005 Human Rights Record: "The government's human rights record remained poor, and it continued to commit numerous abuses."
2006 Human Rights Record: "The government's human rights record remained poor, and it continued to commit numerous abuses."
Reported abuses include: torture and beating of persons in police
custody; police officials acting with impunity; generally harsh and
life threatening prison conditions--despite improvements in
infrastructure; arbitrary arrest and detention, particularly of
individuals considered by the government to be political opponents;
lengthy pretrial detention; imprisonment of persons for politically
motivated reasons; pervasive corruption in the judiciary and in law
enforcement; restrictions on media freedom, freedom of assembly, and
political participation.
FY06 FMF Actual: $3.96 million
FY06 FMF Actual: $3.96 million
FY08 FMF Request: $4.3 million
Bosnia and Herzegovina:
2005 Human Rights Record: "The government's human rights record
remained poor; although there were improvements in some areas, serious
problems remained."
2006 Human Rights Record: "The government's human rights record remained poor, although there were improvements in some areas."
Reported abuses included: death from landmines; physical abuse by
police; overcrowding and poor prison conditions; improper influence on
the judiciary; harassment and intimidation of journalists; restrictions
on religious minorities and attacks on religious structures;
obstructionism toward minority returnees; government corruption;
societal discrimination against women, ethnic minorities, sexual
minorities, and persons with disabilities; ethnically-motivated
violence; trafficking in persons; and limits on employment rights. Two
of the war crimes suspects most wanted by the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia's (ICTY), Ratko Mladic and Radovan
Karadzic, also remained at large.
FY06 FMF Actual: $8.91 million
FY07 FMF Actual: $8.91 million
FY08 FMF Request: $7.8 million
Georgia:
2005 Human Rights Record: "The government's human rights record
improved in some areas in during the year, although serious problems
remained."
2006 Human Rights Record: "The government's human rights record
improved in some areas during the year, although serious problems
remained."
Reported abuses include: excessive use of force by law enforcement
officers; torture and mistreatment of detainees; increased abuse of
prisoners; impunity; continued overuse of pretrial detention for less
serious offenses; worsened conditions in prisons and pretrial detention
facilities; lack of access for average citizens to defense attorneys;
government pressure on the judiciary and the media and - despite a
substantial reduction due to reforms led by the president - corruption.
FY06 FMF Actual: $11.88 million
FY07 FMF Actual: $11.88 million
FY08 FMF Request: $10 million
Romania:
2005 Human Rights Record: "The government made increasing attempts to
address human rights issues during the year; however, human rights
abuses continued to occur."
2006 Human Rights Record: "The government made increasing attempts to
address human rights issues during the year; however, human rights
abuses continued to occur."
Reported abuses include: continued reports of police and gendarme
harassment of detainees and Roma; poor prison conditions; restrictions
on freedom of religion; failure to return property to the Greek
Catholic Church and other religious denominations; widespread
corruption; violence and discrimination against women; significant
lapses in the protection of children's rights; trafficking in women and
children for sexual exploitation, labor and forced begging; neglect of
and inadequate assistance for persons with disabilities; discrimination
against persons, particularly children, living with HIV/AIDS.
FY06 Actual: $12.87 million
FY07 Actual: $12.87 million
FY08 Request: $18.4 million
Near East and North Africa
Egypt:
2005 Human Rights Report: "The government's respect for human rights remained poor, and serious abuses continued in many areas."
2006 Human Rights Report: "The government's respect for human rights remained poor, and serious abuses continued in many areas."
Reported abuses include: limitations on the right of citizens to change
their government; a state of emergency, in place almost continuously
since 1967; torture and abuse of prisoners and detainees; poor
conditions in prisons and detention centers; impunity; arbitrary arrest
and detention, including prolonged pretrial detention; executive branch
limits on an independent judiciary; denial of fair public trial and
lack of due process; political prisoners and detainees; restrictions on
civil liberties--freedoms of speech and press, including internet
freedom; assembly and association; some restrictions on religious
freedom; corruption and lack of transparency; some restrictions on
NGOs; and discrimination and violence against women, including female
genital mutilation (FGM).
FY06 FMF Actual: $1.287 billion
FY07 FMF Actual: $1.287 billion
FY08 FMF Request: $1.3 billion
Morocco:
2005 Human Rights Report: "...the human rights record remained poor in many areas."
2006 Human Rights Report: "Citizens did not have the right to change
fully their form of government. Reports of torture by various branches
of the security forces persisted. Prison conditions remained below
international standards. Reports of arbitrary arrests, incommunicado
detentions, and police and security force impunity continued. Judicial
independence from the executive branch of the government remained a
problem. The government restricted freedoms of speech, press, and
religion. Trafficking in persons continued, and child labor,
particularly in the unregulated informal sector, remained a problem.
Security forces disbanded, sometimes with excessive force, monthly
demonstrations by unemployed university graduates in front of the
parliament."
FY06 FMF Actual: $12.375 million
FY07 FMF Actual: $12.375 million
FY08 FMF Request: $3.655 million
Tunisia:
2005 Human Rights Report: "The government's human rights record
remained poor, and the government persisted in committing serious
abuses. However, the government continued to demonstrate respect for
the religious freedom of minorities, as well as the human rights of
women and children."
2006 Human Rights Report: "The government continued to commit serious human rights abuses."
Reported abuses include: significant limitations on citizens' right to
change their government; torture and physical abuse of prisoners and
detainees; arbitrary arrest and detention; lengthy pretrial and
incommunicado detention; severe restrictions on freedom of speech and
of the press, and restricted freedom of assembly and association;
corruption. The government remained intolerant of public criticism and
used intimidation, criminal investigations, the court system, arbitrary
arrests, residential restrictions, and travel controls (including
denial of passports), to discourage criticism by human rights and
opposition activists.
FY06 FMF Actual: $8.413 million
FY07 FMF Actual: $8.413 million
FY08 FMF Request: $2.064 million
South and Central Asia
Bangladesh:
2005 Human Rights Report: "The government's human rights record
remained poor, and the government continued to commit numerous serious
abuses."
2006 Human Rights Report: "The government's human rights record
remained poor, and the government continued to commit numerous serious
abuses."
Reported abuses include: extrajudicial killings; arbitrary arrest and
detention; politically motivated violence; Security forces acting with
impunity and committing acts of physical and psychological torture;
violence against journalists; infringement on religious freedoms;
government corruption; violence against women and children; trafficking
in persons.
FY06 FMF Actual: $990,000
FY07 FMF Actual: $990,000
FY08 FMF Request: $875,000
Kazakhstan:
2005 Human Rights Record: "The government's human rights record remained poor."
2006 Human Rights Record: "The following human rights problems were
reported: severe limits on citizens' rights to change their government;
an incident of unlawful deprivation of life; military hazing that led
to deaths; detainee and prisoner abuse; unhealthy prison conditions;
arbitrary arrest and detention, particularly of government opponents;
lack of an independent judiciary; increased restrictions on freedom of
speech, the press, assembly, and association; pervasive corruption,
especially in law enforcement and the judicial system; restrictions on
the activities of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); discrimination
and violence against women; trafficking in persons; and societal
discrimination."
FY06 FMF Actual: $3.465 million
FY07 FMF Actual: $3.465 million
FY08 FMF Request: $2 million
Pakistan:
2005 Human Rights Report: "The government's human rights record was poor, and serious problems remained."
2006 Human Rights Report: "The government's human rights record remained poor."
Reported abuses include: restrictions on citizens' right to change
their government; extrajudicial killings, torture, and rape; an
increase in disappearances of provincial activists and political
opponents, especially in provinces experiencing internal turmoil and
insurgencies; poor prison conditions; arbitrary arrest; lengthy
pretrial detention; lack of judicial independence; Harassment,
intimidation, and arrests of journalists; limited freedoms of
association, religion, and movement; corruption within the government
and police forces; domestic violence and abuse against women, such as
honor crimes and discriminatory legislation that affected women and
religious minorities; widespread trafficking in persons and
exploitation of indentured, bonded, and child; commercial sexual
exploitation of children; discrimination against persons with
disabilities.
FY06 FMF Actual: $297 million
FY07 FMF Actual: $297 million
FY08 FMF Request: $300 million
Tajikistan:
2005 Human Rights Record: "The government's human rights record
remained poor and corruption continued to hamper democratic and social
reform."
2006 Human Rights Record: "The government's human rights record
remained poor and corruption continued to hamper democratic and social
reform."
Reported abuses include: restrictions on the right of citizens to
change their government; torture and abuse of detainees and other
persons by security forces; threats, extortion, and abuse by security
forces; impunity of security forces; lengthy pretrial detention; lack
of access to prisoners by family members and lawyers; confessions
obtained by torture accepted as evidence in trials; harsh and
life-threatening prison conditions; restricted international monitor
access to prisons; extralegal extradition of prisoners from third
countries with apparent government complicity; restricted freedom of
speech and the press; restricted freedom of association; restrictions
on freedom of religion, primarily for women; registration denial of
opposition political parties; imprisonment of political opposition,
including journalists; harassment of international nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs); difficulties with registration and visas;
violence and discrimination against women; trafficking in persons;
child labor and forced labor.
FY06 FMF Actual: $495,000
FY07 FMF Actual: $495, 000
FY08 FMF Request: $675,000
Western Hemisphere
Colombia:
2005 Human Rights Report: "Although serious problems remained, the
government's respect for human rights continued to improve. All actors
in the internal armed conflict committed human rights violations; the
majority of violations were committed by illegal armed groups."
2006 Human Rights Report: "Although serious problems remained, the
government's respect for human rights continued to improve, which was
particularly evident in actions undertaken by the government's security
forces and in demobilization negotiations with the United Self Defense
Forces of Colombia (AUC)."
Reported abuses include: unlawful and extrajudicial killings; forced
disappearances; insubordinate military collaboration with criminal
groups; torture and mistreatment of detainees; overcrowded and insecure
prisons; arbitrary arrest; high number of pretrial detainees some of
whom were held with convicted prisoners; impunity; an inefficient
judiciary subject to intimidation; harassment and intimidation of
journalists; unhygienic conditions at settlements for displaced
persons, with limited access to health care, education, or employment;
corruption; harassment of human rights groups; violence against women,
including rape; child abuse and child prostitution; trafficking in
women and children for the purpose of sexual exploitation; societal
discrimination against women, indigenous persons, and minorities; and
illegal child labor.
FY06 FMF Actual: $89.1 million
FY07 FMF Actual: $89.1 million
FY08 FMF Request: $78 million
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