Tuesday, March 12, 2013

World leaders and human rights defenders call for inquiry into deaths of Oswaldo and Harold

Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and Harold Cepero Escalante

Appeal for International Inquiry into the Deaths of Oswaldo Paya and Harold Cepero


An open letter to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, and Ambassadors of all Member States

12 March 2013

Excellencies,

We urge you to support our demand for an international and independent investigation into the alleged murder of Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá, a world-renowned figure and recipient of the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize, who died in a car crash in Bayamo, Cuba, on July 22, 2012, together with fellow activist Harold Cepero.

In dramatic new testimony by the driver of the car, Ángel Carromero describes, in a Washington Post interview dated 6 March 2013, how their vehicle was followed, harassed and ultimately rammed from behind by a car bearing government license plates. Mr. Carromero further alleges that, following the crash, he was drugged, mistreated and coerced by Cuban authorities into making a false confession.


The new revelations corroborate the claims made by the families of the victims and other witnesses, as well as the report by Spain’s ABC news agency about text messages sent contemporaneous with the incident from the mobile phones of Mr. Carromero and another passenger, Aron Modig, indicating that their car was chased and then hit, causing the crash.

Significantly, according to the family of Oswaldo Payá, state security agents had repeatedly threatened to kill him.

Mounting and credible allegations that the Cuban government may have been complicit in the murder of its most prominent critic, a leading figure in the human rights world, cannot go ignored by the international community.

The families of the victims, and the people of Cuba, have a right to know the truth, and they have a right to justice. This can only happen with the creation of an international and independent inquiry. We therefore respectfully urge you to support our call.

Sincerely,
    Sincerely,
    1. Armando Calderon Sol, former President of El Salvador
    2. Alfredo Cristiani, former President of El Salvador
    3. Luis Alberto Lacalle, former President of Uruguay
    4. Alejandro Toledo, former President of Peru
    5. Luis Alberto Monge, former president of Costa Rica
    6. Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice-President of European Parliament
    7. Markus Meckel, former Foreign Minister of Germany
    8. Irwin Cotler, MP, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
    9. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate
    10. Zbigniew Romaszewski, former Speaker of Polish Senate, a founder of the Solidarity movement
    11. Stanislav Shushkevich, former president of Supreme Soviet of Belarus, a current opposition leader in Belarus
    12. Arnold Vaatz MP, Deputy Leader CDU, Germany
    13. Emma Henriksson MP, Group leader, The Christian Democrats, The Swedish National Parliament
    14. Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson, former Foreign Minister of Iceland
    15. Mantas Adomênas MP, Lithuania
    16. Laura Alonso MP, Argentina
    17. Mbarka Bouaida, former MP, Morocco
    18. Philip Claeys MEP, Belgium
    19. Michael Danby MP, Australia
    20. Mátyás Eörsi, Secretary-General of Parliamentary Forum for Democracy, former MP, Hungary
    21. David Kilgour, former MP, Canada
    22. Adam Lipinski MP, former State Secretary of Poland
    23. Martin Palouš, former Ambassador, Czech Republic
    24. Marija Aušrinė Pavilioniene MP, Lithuania
    25. Marco Perduca, Italian Senator, co-vicepresident of Nonviolent Radical Party
    26. Janelle Saffin MP, Australia
    27. Egidijus Vareikis MP, Lithuania
    28. Renate Wohlwend MP, Lichtenstein
    29. Emanuelis Zingeris MP, Lithuania, President of Parliamentary Forum for Democracy
    30. Algis Chaste MP, Lithuania
    31. Rimantas Jonas Days MP, Lithuania
    32. Corina Fusu MP, Moldova
    33. Tadeusz Iwinski MP, Poland
    34. Vytautas Juozapaitis MP, Lithuania
    35. Liutauras Kazlavickas MP, Lithuania
    36. Valeriu Munteanu MP, Moldova
    37. Victor Popa MP, Moldova
    38. Paulius Saudargas MP, Lithuania
    39. Valeriu Saharneanu MP, Moldova
    40. Werner Schulz MEP, Germany
    41. Aurelija Stancikiene MP, Lithuania
    42. Povilas Urbsys MP, Lithuania
    43. Fabian Hamilton MP, United Kingdom
    44. Patricio Walker, Senator, Chile
    45. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, former Congressman, United States
    46. Matteo Mecacci, former MP, Italy
    47. András Schiffer MP, Hungary
    48. Katalin Ertsey MP, Hungary
    49. Eligijus Masiulis MP, Lithuania
    50. Gintaras Steponavičius MP, Lithuania
    51. Albinas Mitrulevičius MP, Lithuania
    52. Irena Šiaulienė MP, Lithuania
    53. Domas Petrulis MP, Lithuania
    54. Algirdas Sysas MP, Lithuania
    55. Raminta Popovienė MP, Lithuania
    56. Gediminas Kirkilas MP, Lithuania
    57. Arūnas Dudėnas MP, Lithuania
    58. Orinta Leiputė MP, Lithuania
    59. Audronė Pitrėnienė MP, Lithuania
    60. Dangutė Mikutienė MP, Lithuania
    61. Zita Žvikienė MP, Lithuania
    62. Jolita Vaickienė MP, Lithuania
    63. Valentinas Mazuronis MP, Lithuania
    64. Vytautas Antanas Matulevičius MP, Lithuania
    65. Linas Balsys MP, Lithuania
    66. Vitalijus Gailius MP, Lithuania
    67. Rokas Žilinskas MP, Lithuania
    68. Juras Požėla MP, Lithuania
    69. János Horváth MP, Hungary
    70. Rene Bolio, former Senator, Mexico, President of Concertation Mexicana
    71. Rosa Díez González MP, Spain
    72. Carlos Martínez Gorriarán MP, Spain
    73. Álvaro Anchuelo Crego MP, Spain
    74. Irene Lozano Domingo MP, Spain
    75. Antonio Cantó García del Moral MP, Spain
    76. Francisco Sosa Wagner MEP, Spain
    77. Carlo Casini MEP, Italy
    78. Annelie Enochson MP, Sweden
    79. Alf Svensson MEP, Sweden
    80. Penilla Gunther MP, Sweden
    81. Bi-khim Hsiao MP, Taiwan
    82. Yi-Jin Yeh MP, Taiwan
    83. Kun-Tse Lee MP, Taiwan
    84. Chun-Yi Lee MP, Taiwan
    85. Tai-Hua Lin MP, Taiwan
    86. Chia-Lung Lin MP, Taiwan
    87. Wen-Ling Huang MP, Taiwan
    88. Chien-Kuo Liu MP, Taiwan
    89. Tuan Yi-Kang MP, Taiwan
    90. Yu Mei-Nu MP, Taiwan
    91. Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida, Unió Democràtica de Catalunya President, President of the External Affairs Commission of the Spanish Parliament
    92. Ramon Espadaler, Unió Democràtica de Catalunya President of General Assembly, Catalan Minister of Interior
    93. Josep Maria Pelegrí, Unió Democràtica de Catalunya Secretary General, Catalan Minister of Agriculture
    94. Joana Ortega,Unió Democràtica de Catalunya Vice President, Vice President of Government of Catalonia
    95. Salvador Sedó i Alabart, International Relations Secretary, Unió Democràtica de Catalunya, Member of the European Parliament
    96. Josep Sanchez Llibre MP, Spain
    97. Hillel Neuer, Executive Director, United Nations Watch
    98. John Suarez, International Secretary, Cuban Democratic Directorate
    99. Carl Gershman, President, the National Endowment for Democracy
    100. Ken Wollack, President, National Democratic Institute
    101. Lorne Craner, President, International Republican Institute
    102. David Kramer, President, Freedom House
    103. Zohra Yusuf, Chairperson, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
    104. Yang Jianli, President, Initiatives for China
    105. Carlos E. Ponce, General Coordinator, Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy
    106. Faisal Fulad, Secretary General, Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society
    107. Art Kaufman, Senior Director, World Movement for Democracy, National Endowment for Democracy
    108. Alessandro Pettenuzzo, European Union of Public Relations
    109. Lehlohonolo Chefa,  Executive Director, Policy Analysis and Research Institute of Lesotho
    110. Anki Flores, Former Secretary-General of the Antiracism Information Service, Geneva
    111. Shauna Leven, Director, René Cassin organization
    112. Bhawani Shanker Kusum, Executive Director, Gram Bharati Samiti, India
    113. Duy Hoang, Spokesperson, Viet Tan
    114. Dickson Ntwiga, Executive Director, Solidarity House International Foundation
    115. Nazanin Afshin-Jam, President, Stop Child Executions
    116. Atamao B T Kane, President, Southpanafrican International
    117. Okay Machisa, Zimbabwe Human Rights Association
    118. Obinna Egbuka, President, Youth Enhancement Organization International Multiracial Shared Cultural Organization
    119. Zofia Romaszewska, one of the founders of Solidarity movement, Poland
    120. Fernando Savater, philosopher, writer and activist, Spain
    121. D. José Luis Orella, President, Foro Arbil, Spain
    122. Sasha Gosh-Siminoff, Executive Director, Syrian Emergency Task Force
    123. Jorge Ocejo Moreno, President, Organización Demócrata Cristiana de América, Former Mexican Senator
    124. Viktorija BRAŽIŪNAITĖ, Chair, Young Leaders Forum
    125. Mazen Hasan, Chairman, Syrian Expatriates Organization
      https://unwatch.org/3362-2/

      No comments:

      Post a Comment