BULLETIN OF INFORMATION AND ACTION ON THE CAMPAIGNS OF THE TRANSNATIONAL RADICAL PARTY

#11, April 15, 1997

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* Editor: Sandro Ottoni, Ilica 8 - 10000 Zagreb (Croatia)

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Dear Friends,

it seemed difficult, almost impossible, but in the end the resolution on the death penalty was passed! The document, which was approved by the Human Rights Commission in Geneva, rekindles the hopes of all those who have been struggling for years for the abolition of this barbaric instrument of punishment throughout the world. The Transnational Radical Party, together with the international "Hands Off Cain" campaign, is posing this question on a global level by making the United Nations its field of battle par excellence. In 1994, after having obtained the commitment of the Italian government, the abolitionist proposal succeeded in being presented before the General Assembly, where it failed to pass by a margin of only six votes. Now, at a distance of three years, the vote of the Human Rights Commission opens the way to the overcoming of that earlier negative result and to the reinsertion of the question of a universal moratorium on capital punishment as an order of the day before the General Assembly. In rec

ent times, many nations have modified their legislation in an abolitionist direction. Simultaneously, stimulated by political pressure and NGO's, other key nations have finally ratified various protocols on the abolition of capital punishment.

The commitment of Italy, which proposed the motion and guided the abolitionist front, has been determinate. But even in France, with President Chirac on the front line, the proposal was supported not only

for Europe but also promoted amongst its African partners. The vote in Geneva has demonstrated how the traditional divisions between nations that are still in development and the large Western democracies can be overcome on important questions such as this one. The United States and Japan found themselves allied with nations such as China, Indonesia and Sudan - precisely those nations who voted against the United Nations order of the day be cause they are the hosts of the gravest violations of human rights and the absolute absence of democracy. Among the abstained, other than the distressing English abstention, India, Cuba, and various African nations leave us hoping.

Within this new frame it is important to understand if a new General Assembly vote will be possible in the next session in 1997 or if we will have to wait until 1998. Much of the future of this campaign will depend upon, as everything that has been accomplished will depend, on how many of us can apply pressure upon the governments in order to save the lives of the condemned, in order to affirm the primacy of rights that operate justly and that expel capital punishment from their texts, and for the reinforcement of the role of international institutions.

Aside from this initiative, the Transnational Radical Party, which was present in Geneva as a NGO with Category One recognition by the United Nations, it has been committed to a series of battles in defense of human rights. For the sake of argument, it is safe to say that we are committed to the obtainment of a resolution condemning China for the violation of human rights in Tibet, Western Turkestan,Inner Mongolia, as well as among its very own Chinese citizens, and also for the defense of the citizens of Hong Kong. It also includes resolutions regarding Indonesia, Sudan, Burma, and many others in its work. Other themes regard AIDS, the respect of ethnic, linguistic, and religious minorities, the rights of children involved in armed conflicts, the right to conscientious objection, the rights of indigenous peoples and against torture and forced labor. Further details on these campaigns will be provided in future issues.

-------------FREEDOM FOR TIBET/DEMOCRACY FOR CHINA----------------

>>> EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION TO HONG KONG

Hong Kong, March 3-4, 1997 - A delegation of European Parliamentarians (Bertel HAARDER, vice-president of the EP (liberal), Olivier DUPUIS (reformists), Gary TITLEY (labor), and Graham WATSON (liberal) encountered a group of the highest officials of the British territory which will be returned to China on July 1st. After the meetings the European deputies will propose a strong recommendation to the European Union calling for, among other things, that the Commission elaborate an annual report on the civil and human rights situation in Hong Kong. The European Union will also continue to direct funding for defense projects and the promotion of human rights and the development of democracy in Hong Kong and other nations.

>>> EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: A RESOLUTION CONDEMNING THE CHINESE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN WESTERN TURKESTAN IS APPROVED FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Strasburg, April 10, 1997 - As a result of the initiative of the radical ARE group and of Karl HABSBURG LOTHRINGEN of the PPE, the European Parliament approved a resolution on Western Turkestan which condemns the Chinese policy bent upon eliminating the culture of the Uiguro people through mass relocations, demographic control, religious repression, and the indiscriminate application of the death penalty and other violations contrary to the respect for human rights. The resolution also asks for the beginning of a political dialogue among the two sides and insists that the Chinese authorities permit access to Western Turkestan (in the Xinjiang region) to journalists and human rights observers.

>>> EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: RESOLUTION ON THE SITUATION IN HONG KONG

Strasburg, April 10, 1997 - The European Parliament, in consideration that on July 1st, 1997 the sovereignty of Hong Kong will pass from British rule to Chinese rule in conformity with the common Sino-British Declaration and the Fundamental Law of the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, has requested that the European Union and its member states insist firmly and in a unified voice that the transfer of sovereignty occur with a full respect for the ratified principles. The EP has also invited the Commission to present an annual report on the political, economic, and human rights developments in the region and has solicited the sending of a mission of information of the European Parliament to Hong Kong after the transfer of sovereignty has taken place.

>>> UNITED NATIONS/GENEVA: FRANCE WITH GERMANY, ITALY AND SPAIN BREAK THE EUROPEAN FRONT FOR THE RESPECT OF HUMAN RIGHTS. THEY OBSTRUCT THE DEPOSIT OF A COMMON RESOLUTION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION THAT WOULD CONDEMN THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA.

Rome, April 10th, 1997 - The Presidency of the Italian Senate decided to delay, until April 15th, a discussion in favor of the presentation of a joint Resolution (of the European Union) to the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva condemning China for its violation of human rights in China and Tibet. The UN Commission will end its session on April 18th. The Italian decision, which is in fact a vain gesture, is coupled with that announced by France in January, and against which the TRP mobilized with an appeal made by French deputies. It is a clear sign of the inability of these two nations to intervene on the matter, and a sign of the strong commercial interests at stake that bind them. Beginning from these same positions, Germany and Spain also withdrew their support, while Denmark decided to present its own resolution. Faced with the opposition of France and the ambivalence of its partners, circumstances forced Holland to renounce its commitment to fulfill the presidency of the Union.

For more information: FREEDOM FOR TIBET/DEMOCRACY FOR CHINA FAX

tel.+ 266.34.86 - 266.09.35 Fax 11.87.937

e-mail M.Lensi@agora.stm.it - WWW.Url: http://www.agora.stm.it/pr

===>>> INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

>>> UNITED NATIONS/NEW YORK: THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE (PrepCom)

ACCUMULATES DELAYS

New York, February 11-21, 1997 - The PrepCom's mandate is to create a consolidated text which addresses all of the various alternative proposals to the statute provided by the International Law Commission, in addition to eventual amendments and notes that will arise at the Plenipotentiary Conference that will be held in Italy in 1998 for the establishment of the International Criminal Court. As it is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), the TRP has been admitted to follow the workings. TRP representatives Marino Busdachin, Paola Costantino, Mauro Sabatano, and Marco Perduca participated in this process.

During this session the Committee was divided in two groups which focused upon:

1) Lists and definitions of crimes, presided over by Prof. Adriaan Bos (Holland), and relative to the three crimes that are part of the court's jurisdiction: genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

2) General principles of penal law, presided over by Prof. Per Saaland (Sweden). In particular, this second group was unable to address all of the arguments on the schedule as a result of the session's limited meeting time.

The radical delegation, together with the NGO of the coalition for the court (CICC), organized a number of meetings and participated in work lunches offered to the delegations.

===>>> DRUG ANTIPROHIBITIONISM

>>> STRASBURG - THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CONDEMNS THE ANTI-DUTCH PRESSURE OF THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT

Strasburg, March 11th, 1997 - Under the initiative of CORA, the radical deputies to the European Parliament, Gianfranco Dell'Alba and Olivier Dupuis, presented an amendment that was approved concerning the Parliament's relation to the Treaty of Schengen. In the amendment, the Strasburg assembly deplored the maintenance of customs controls on the French-Belgian border, which have been installed by the French government to pressure Holland and Belgium into practicing more restrictive drug policies.

>>> APPEAL TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT FOR THERAPEUTIC FREEDOM AND THE RIGHT TO CURES

European Union, March 22, 1997 - CORA has distributed a petition to the European Parliament so that the right to free circulation in all of the member states of the Union be granted to citizens who are addicts. It is a possibility that the various policies concerning drug laws and their interventions for the curing of addicts risk to seriously compromise. This petition is intended to clear the path for one of the objectives established at the CORA congress in Brussels, which is that of "antiprohibitionism of cures" at a European level.

>>> ROMA: MARCO PANNELLA IS RECALLED TO COURT FOR DISTRIBUTING MARIJUANA AND INSTIGATING ITS USE. HE RISKS UP TO 15 YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR THE ACTIONS OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE.

Rome, March 23rd, 1997 - Marco Pannella, leader of the TRP and the Club Pannella Movement in Italy, stands before justice once more for instigating delinquency, as well as promoting the use and distribution of drugs. The disputed act is the public "gift" to a a talk-show hostess on Italian TV, of a package containing several grams of hashish. Two other trials are currently underway against Pannella as a result of similar antiprohibitionist acts of civil disobedience that were executed last year by Marco Pannella together with Paolo Vigevano, Rita Bernardini, Mimmo Pinto, Benedetto Dellla Vedova, Vittorio Pezzutto, who are also stand accused. The next hearings will take place on April 8th, June 7th, and May 27th.

>>> UNITED NATIONS/VIENNA: ANTIPROHIBITIONISM IN THE WOLF'S LAIR

Vienna, March 27th, 1997 - During the work of the "Narcotics Commission," the TRP intervened to request that the United Nations, as a result of the failure of the politics of repression practiced today in the world, allow individual states the possibility of experimenting with political alternatives, and in particular, the possibility of evaluating the practicality of the antiprohibitionist option. The Transnational Radical Party would participate at the three preparatory sessions of the UN Conference on drugs scheduled for 1998, requesting dignity of expression for the antiprohibitionist option.

>>> VIII INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE REDUCTION OF DAMAGES. OUR RESPONSE: LEGALIZE IT.

Paris, March, 1997 - The Secretary of CORA, Eric Picard, presented a petition to the European Parliament during the work of the Conference requesting that therapeutic freedom be guaranteed for doctors throughout the European Union, as well as the freedom to cure citizens who are addicts and prescribe of pharmaceutical substitutes and the controlled administration of heroin.

For more information contact: ANTIPROHIBITIONIST FAX Tel.+32-2-2304121

Fax +32-2-2303670 - E-Mail: cora.belgique@agora.stm.it

or cora.italia@agora.stm.it (Tel.+39-6-689.791)

===>>> ABOLITON OF THE DEATH PENALTY

>>> GENEVA - UN COMMISSION APPROVES A RESOLUTION IN FAVOR OF A UNIVERSAL MORATORIUM ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME. VICTORY OF THE TRANSNATIONAL RADICAL PARTY AND THE ABOLITIONISTS.

Geneva, April 3rd, 1997 - With 27 votes in favor, 11 votes opposed, and 14 abstentions, the United Nations Human Rights Commission adopted a resolution which commits the member nations to proceed towards a moratorium on executions. The abolitonist front, guided by Italy and France, and with the support of 45 other nations, did not collapse before the joined pressure of the United states, China, and the Islamic nations who are vehemently opposed to the document. A majority of African nations, India, and Cuba signalled their cautious yet progressive motion towards abolitionist positions with their votes of abstention.

The initiative, which was promoted by "Hands Off Cain" and the TRP, was conducted with great effort and energy from Italy and France, which will now have to evaluate the presentation of a request for a moratorium on capital punishment to the UN General Assembly this November. It is a request that was defeated by only eight votes in 1994.

>>> UKRAINE - INFORMATION INITIATIVE WITHOUT PRECEDENT IN SUPPORT OF ABOLITION. HUNDREDS OF ARTICLES IN THE MASS MEDIA.

Kiev, April 7th, 1997 - The radicals of Kiev have informed us that, as of February 4th, a vast publicity initiative in support of the abolition of the death penalty in that country has been underway. Thanks to manifestations before the Parliament, press conferences, and speeches by famous figures and experts, a massive publication of abolitonist articles has been secured in newspapers, as well as a strong presence on television and radio. In the month of April the Ukrainian Parliament will confront the discussion of a projected law which provides for the total abolition of the death penalty.

For more information contact: "HANDS OFF CAIN"

e-mail Hands.off.Cain@agora.stm.it - http://www.agora.stm.it/ntc

===>>> CRISIS IN ALBANIA

>>> "IT IS NECESSARY THAT THE EUROPEAN UNION COMMIT ITSELF AT THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE MOMENT TO A EUROPEAN BODY FOR OPERATIONS INVOLVING THE MAINTENANCE AND RESTORATION OF PEACE." Declaration of Olivier Dupuis

Strasburg -Brussels, March 14th, 1997 - "The European Union, as well as the United Nations, did not deem it necessary to propose the sending of peace-keeping troops to Albanian authorities. We hope that today, when it is those same Albanian authorities that launch the appeal, that the urgency of such a project cannot be more clear."

"After the ex-Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Zaire, Albania risks becoming another argument on desertion of the drama which constitutes the absence of a foreign policy and common security. That is, unless, strengthened by the experience of the UEO, the Union decides to confront the problem, which is more urgent, within 24 hours. Possibly, if strengthened by this most recent crisis, and also by the consensus among its 15 member nations concerning the necessity of the European Union to initiate missions of peace-keeping and restoration of peace, it will rapidly create a European body composed of both civilian and military personnel, and not national forces, specialized to respond to this type of crisis."

===>>>VARIOUS

>>> UNITED NATIONS/HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION: THE STRUGGLE AGAINST AIDS AND

PREVENTION

Geneva, April 8th, 1997 - Olga Cechurova, a member of the radical delegation, reminded everyone that those afflicted with AIDS are victims of discrimination in numerous areas of the world during a speech. She invited the governments and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to adopt adequate methods to secure respect for human rights in the context of the AIDS pandemic, and with particular attention to the weakest sectors and least informed populations.

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SUBSCRIPTION FEES 1997: The subscription fes vary from nation to nation, according to the criteria of 1% of the PIL. They follow the fees relative to the distibution of the bulletin in the nations where it is most diffuse. For the missing nations, please contact the editorial office.

Albania 5 USD - Austria 2.400 ATS - Azerbajian 3 USD - Belgium 7.000 BEF - Bulgaria 8 USD - Canada 285 CAD - Czech Republic 27 USD - Croatia 35 DEM - Denmark 1.800 DKK - France 1.300 FRF - Germany 460 DEM - Hungary 27 USD -Ireland 78 IEP - Italy 365.000 LIT - Netherlands 370 NLG - Poland 23 USD - Portugal 11.600 PTE - Rumania 12 USD - Russia 19 USD - Slovenia 85 DEM - Spain 17.600 ESB - Switzerland 500 CHF - Ukraine 13 USD - United Kingdom 129 GBP - United States 260 USD

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