Eternal Vigilance Coalition- Human Rights Day 2009

International Human Rights Activists Denounces Abduction and Beating of Bloggers and Issues a Call to the EU

International Human Rights Activists Denounces Abduction and Beating of Bloggers and Calls for EU to make democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms the priority in its relations with Cuba

Recalling that the abduction and beating of bloggers Yoani Sanchez and Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo by Cuban state security agents on Friday November 6, 2009 is not an isolated event but part of a pattern of systematic harassment that in some cases leads to the deaths of independent civil society and pro-democracy activists.

Recalling that Oswaldo Paya Sardiñas won the Sakharov Prize in 2002 in recognition of the Varela Project in which 11,020 signatures petitioning for basic freedoms was delivered to the Cuban national assembly, that the response by the dictatorship was to declare the Constitution untouchable followed by a massive crackdown in March 2003 in which the petition organizers, independent journalists, and human rights activists were arrested, tried and sentenced in summary trials to up to 28 years in prison, and that following the crackdown an additional 14,000 signatures demanding reform were turned into the Cuban National Assembly.

Recalling that the mothers, sisters, and daughters of Cuban political prisoners organized into “The Ladies in White” peacefully and openly demand their loved ones’ freedom, only to be met with the regime’s Rapid Response Brigades and physical violence that in 2005 The Ladies in White won the Sakharov Prize, and. continue to march through the streets for their loved ones’ freedom.

Recalling that at the Forum 2000 Conference on "Democracy and Freedom in a Multipolar World" held in Prague, Cuban human rights activists, led by former political prisoner José Gabriel Ramón Castillo, presented the names of 305 political prisoners on the island, " The Prague List," is not meant to be inclusive, but it does provide a general idea of the scope of repression and how many are imprisoned because of their opposition to the dictatorship.

Recognizing that international solidarity has provided a measure of protection to Cuban democrats, independent civil society and human rights activists

Therefore:

We denounce the abduction and beating of bloggers Yoani Sanchez and Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo by Cuban State Security and condemn this practice and demand its end.

We call on the Cuban regime to release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and commit to work to resolve the critical human rights situation in Cuba,

We call on democratic governments to develop a systematic multilateral effort to improve the critical human rights situation in Cuba.

We call on the European Union to maintain its 1996 Common Position on Cuba which means maintaining a high priority to the principles of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms.

We resolve to raise awareness on the plight of the at least 305 identified political prisoners in Cuba in “The Prague List” currently serving unjust prison sentences for defending human rights and democracy in Cuba

Signatories:

José Gabriel Ramón Castillo
Gestor
Proyecto Ciudadano Cubano
http://www.proyectociudadanocubano.net/

Dr. Aliaksandr Milinkevich,
Chairman
Movement for Freedom in Belarus
http://en.milinkevich.org/

Nazanin Afshin-Jam
International Human Rights Activist, Co-Founder and President of Stop Child Executions
http://www.stopchildexecutions.com/

Sabe A. Soe,
Burma Center Prague
http://www.burma-center.org/

Soe Aung,
Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Executive Committee Member
Network for Democracy and Development (NDD)
http://dannai.civiblog.org/

Carlos González
Respekt Institut
http://www.respektinstitut.cz/

John Suarez
Human Rights Director
Cuban Democratic Directorate
http://www.directorio.org/

Pavel Marozau,
Chair,
Congress of the New Belarusian Diaspora of Europe and the United States
Founder
The Third Way Belarus Network,
http://belarus.3dway.org/

Tamara Suju,
Presidente
Nueva Conciencia Nacional A.C.
Directora
Fundación Damas de Blanco de Venezuela
http://www.solidaridadvenezuela.org/

Tenzin Gayden,
President
Students for a Free Tibet chapter at Florida International University
http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/

Statement on Suu kyi Sentence

Statement on Suu kyi Sentence

By Eternal Vigilance

Recalling that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won the last election held in Burma (Myanmar) in 1990 and that those results were ignored by the ruling military junta who then imprisoned her unjustly.

Recalling that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is the only living Noble Peace Laureate under detention

Recognizing that the current charges against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi are both a sham and illegal.

Furthermore that this action by the military junta causes major damage to the process of national reconciliation and indicates that the upcoming 2010 elections will be a farce.

Therefore:

We call for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi, currently held in the notorious Insein Prison and request that the new charges against her be dropped. We are concerned that her health is poor due to both low blood pressure, dehydration and the detention of her primary physician, Dr. Tin Myo Win, who was also detained, but released on the evening of May 16th by the military and was not allowed to administer medical attention to her.

We call on the military regime of Burma (Myanmar) to release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and commit to work to resolve the critical human rights situation in Burma.

We call on democratic governments to develop a systematic effort to improve human rights in Burma (Myanmar) where there is a critical human rights situation.

We call on the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to request and lobby for her release.

We call on the UN Security Council to demand the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi.

We request that the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) send envoys immediately to Burma (Myanmar).

We resolve to seek to raise awareness on the plight of the at least 2,100 identified political prisoners in Burma (Myanmar) currently serving unjust prison sentences for defending human rights and democracy in Burma (Myanmar).

Signers

Ahmad Batebi, Iranian Human Rights Defender

John Suarez, Cuban Democratic Directorate

Carlos González, Respekt Institut Czech Republic

José Gabriel Ramón Castillo, Proyecto Cuidadano Cubano

Soe Aung, National Council of the Union of Burma

Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Stop Child Executions (Iran)

Gibreil I. M. Hamid, Darfur Peace and Development Centre

Pavel Morozau, The Third Way community (Belarus-Estonia)

Gonzalo Himiob Santomé, Venezuelan Human Rights Defender

Geneva Declaration of “Eternal Vigilance”

DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS VICTIMS

FROM GENEVA SUMMIT FOR HUMAN RIGHT, TOLERANCE AND DEMOCRACY

Declaration of “Eternal Vigilance”

19 April 2009, Geneva

Having assembled at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy, and on the proposal by the Venezuelan NGOs represented at the Summit, it was decided to create a forum and platform for “Eternal Vigilance” that is integrated by all NGOs, human rights defenders, human rights protection institutions, former and present victims of discrimination on the basis of opinion, political persecution, prisoners and prisoners of conscience, to fulfill the objectives listed below.

This proposal was supported by the representatives of Zimbabwe, China, Cuba, Iran, Burma, Belarus, Sudan (Darfur), Venezuela and Egypt, taking into account that in those countries the governments do not respect human rights; have proved to be intolerant in several ways against dissidents; and in fact have arrested, sentenced, and imprisoned activists that work towards freedom and democracy.

We call on these governments to release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience as defined by Amnesty International, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations, and regional human rights organizations, and commit to work to resolve the critical human rights situations in their respective countries.

We call on the democratic governments to develop a systematic effort to improve human rights in countries where there is a critical human rights situation.

We hereby launch the campaign “Freedom for All.” This campaign consists in raising awareness in consciousness of the plight of all political prisoners in the world currently serving unjust prison sentences for defending human rights in some manner. We establish a map of liberation, which demonstrates which countries have and do not have political prisoners.

We invite all who wish to join to make this their struggle and cause for freedom. We ask for support for all those struggling for human rights and freedom around the world. We call on political, religious and student leaders, intellectuals, artists, and everyone, to struggle for the life and liberty of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.

We call on members of the UN General Assembly to take into account and question candidates for membership on the United Nations Human Rights Council and vote against candidates that are systematic human rights violators, to avoid having the council undermined.