Yugoslavia - Kossovo
CARAVAN FOR PEACE IN KOSSOVO ORGANIZED BY THE EUROPEAN AND SERBIAN GREENS AND BY THE YUGOSLAVIAN RADICALS. THE GREEN MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ALEXANDER LANGER AND THE RADICAL DIANA REXEPI AMONG THE PARTICIPANTS.
Pristina, 1-3 May 1991. Kossovo was crossed by a nonviolent caravan of Serbian, Italian and European Greens and Radicals who asked for an impartial political information and protested against the repression carried out in Kossovo by the Serbian government. The caravan passed through the villages where the Serbian police killed civilians, including children, in March 1989. In the speeches she held, Diana Rexepi also commemorated the victims of Belgrade, inviting all, Serbians and Albanians, to join hands and cooperate for the achievement of ethnic peace and democracy. YUTEL (a TV program broadcast in all Yugloslavian republics) dedicated 10 minutes to the initiative, broadcasting part of Diana Rexepi's speech both in the Serbian villages and in the Albanian ones.
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China
ITALIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS IN CHINA: FREEDOM FOR TIBET AND RED ROSES IN TIEN AN MEN SQUARE. STATEMENT BY GIOVANNI NEGRI.
Peking, 2 May 1991. On its official visit to China, the Italian parliamentary delegation unanimously decided to give priority to two issues in all official talks: the respect of human rights toward the Chinese democratic opposition (in the light of the massacre in Tien An Men Square) and the tragedy inflicted to Tibet, which suffered the tragedy of over one million victims and the destruction of its political, civil and religious identity after the Chinese occupation, which is a source of irreparable damage for mankind.
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China
PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION: STATEMENT BY THE RADICAL DEPUTY NEGRI.
Peking, 2 May 1991. "I am glad to acknowledge that President Piccoli has had the merit of clearly illustrating this common resolve of the Italian parliamentarians on visit to China in the talks with the Chinese foreign affairs committee, with Liao Hansheng (President of the same committee and Vice President of Parliament), with the committee of national minorities and in the talks we will have with the Minister of Foreign Trade, with the Foreign Minister Quian Quichen and with the President of the Chinese Parliament Wan Li.
China's criminal attitude toward Tibet must end. (...).
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Czechoslovakia
FIRST MAY IN BRNO
Brno, 2 May 1991. On the occasion of the anniversary of 1 May, the Radicals of Brno launched an initiative aimed at protesting against the permanence in Morava Square (formerly Red Square, one of the main squares of Brno) of a monument bearing a sentence by Stalin which extols communism. Above such monument the Radicals Jan Honner and Peter Patka raised a banner stating "Forever with comrade Stalin?".
The Radicals were rudely stopped by the police. After the newspapers strongly condemned the behaviour of the police forces with the nonviolent militants, the mayor accepted the radicals' request, ordering to remove the sentence from the monument in Morava Square.
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Czechoslovakia - United States of America
DEATH PENALTY: RADICAL DEMONSTRATION ON THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE ABOLITION OF THE CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA AND LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUSH.
Prague, 4 May 1991. The demonstration started on Charles Bridge, whence - after a briefing with the journalists - the demonstrators marched toward the U.S. embassy. After having given a letter addressed to President Bush at the U.S. embassy, the demonstrators continued toward the Castle of Prague, seat of the President of the Republic, Vaclav Havel. A consistent delegation of demonstrators was received by Karel von Schwarzenberg, the President's chief of cabinet. On behalf of the demonstrators, Richard Stockar and John Bok expressed the reasons of the initiative, which was the occasion for celebrating and expressing gratitude for a happy event. For his part, von Schwarzenberg expressed the satisfaction of the Presidency of the Republic for the demonstration, which, he said, was extremely wise, considering the fact that the Castle has been receiving several letters from citizens who ask for the reintroduction of the capital punishment.
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China
THE RADICAL DEPUTY GIOVANNI NEGRI GAVE THE FOREIGN MINISTER A LIST OF POLITICAL PRISONERS AND PLACED A BUNCH OF ROSES ON TIEN AN MEN SQUARE.
Peking, 4 May 1991. The Radical deputy Giovanni Negri, who is a member of the parliamentary delegation currently visiting China, gave the Foreign Minister Quian Quichen and the Vice Prime Minister Zhu Rong Ji a list of over 150 Tibetan political prisoners, and asked the authorities to release them. Moreover, Negri placed a bunch of roses on Tien An Men Square in front of Mao's mausoleum, to commemorate the massacre of June 1989 and as a homage to the Chinese students' nonviolent struggle.
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Soviet Union - Kazakhstan
REPRESSION AGAINST RADICAL NIKOLAJ SHTROMBERGER.
Alma-Ata, 5 May 1991. Following his participation in the meeting of Soviet Radicals last January, repressive procedures have been started against Radical Nikolaj Shtromberger. The latter was denied access to the Institute of High Energies of the Academy of Science of Kazakhstan, where he works as a computer programmer. Moreover, the drawer where Shtromberger kept his material and personal books was picked and opened.
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Soviet Union
DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE VIOLENT CLASHES BETWEEN ARMENIANS AND AZERBAIJANI.
Moscow, 5 May 1991. Over 150 people, including several members of the Radical Party, took part in the demonstration in front of the Kremlin organized by the Memorial Society to protest against the violation of human rights in the Armenian villages on the part of the Soviet army and of Azerbaijan's special forces. The demonstrators waved banners stating "No to violence", "Enough with the deportation of the people of Getashen", "all problems should be solved with negotiations, not military force".
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Soviet Union
DEMONSTRATION AGAINST CENSORSHIP BANNED.
Moscow, 6 May 1991. With the excuse of the bad environmental conditions of the place chosen by the organizers, the executive committee of the Soviet of the District of Sverdlovskij prohibited the demonstration scheduled on 10 May whose aim was to protest against all forms of censorship.
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Hong Kong - China
"WE HAVE TIEN AN MEN, YOU HAVE THE MAFIA". CLASH BETWEEN THE CHINESE OFFICIALS AND THE ITALIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS. PRESS CONFERENCE BY GIOVANNI NEGRI AT HONG KONG'S FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT'S CLUB.
Hong Kong, 7 May 1991. "Each country has its own problems. You have the mafia, we have had the students". This is how the President of the Chinese National Assembly, Wan Li, answered the remarks regarding the respect of human rights in China expressed by the Italian parliamentarians in Peking. "Excellent, why don't we put our mafia and Shanghai's mafia together to make a film?", was Negri's sarcastic reply, hinting at the Maoist group that headed the cultural revolution. "The agency New China - said Negri at the press conference - "reported that our meetings occurred in an atmosphere of great harmony. This is not true. There have been major disagreements. We are friends of the Chinese people, and this is why we raised the Tibetan issue and the problem of human rights. We have been promised that an Italian parliamentary delegation will be allowed to go to Tibet accompanied by a group of journalists". According to the correspondent of the Italian daily "La Stampa", in Hong Kong "Negri has become the star of YV
news".
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Soviet Union
FIRST HEARING AT THE TRIAL AGAINST THE CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR VLADIMIR ZVEREV.
Moscow, 7 May 1991. The first hearing of the trial against Zverev, a conscientious objector from Moscow, has taken place. Zverev Vladimir Anatolievich was born on 18 October 1970 in the Moscow region, and is currently a student at the Institute of Electronics in Moscow. In September 1990, he had asked to carry out an alternative service; the request had been rejected, given the non-existence of such service in the Soviet Union. All those who wish to express their sympathy to Vladimir can write at his father's address: Zverev Anatolij Tihonovich - Michurinskij prosp. 54-3-79 - Moscow 117192 - USSR.
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Italy
ARTICLE ON "L'UNITA'" BY THE RADICAL DEPUTY CALDERISI ON THE ELECTORAL REFERENDUM
Rome, 8 May 1991. In an article published on "L'Unità", Peppino Calderisi, radical parliamentarian, President of the European Federalist Group at the Chamber of Deputies, expresses his doubts about whether the referendum on preferential votes, the only referendum after the Constitutional Court rejected the other two (which the Radical Party had co-promoted), which favoured the introduction of the one-round, majority system, can really pave the way for a period of major reforms in Italy.
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A MEMORIAL TABLET FOR PAVEL VONKA.
Brno, 8 May 1991. Pavel Vonka was one of the victims of the Czechoslovakian communist regime. He died in prison in 1987 due to the conditions of imprisonment and to the absolute lack of medical assistance, all the more necessary in that he was physically weakened by a period of fasting. The Radicals of Brno announced they have started gathering funds to prepare a memorial tablet for Vonka.
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Italy - Soviet Union - Rumania
ITALIAN-SOVIET DAY OF RESEARCH ON AIDS CANCELED. SOVIET EXPERTS DENIED THE NECESSARY PERMITS. UNCERTAINTY AS TO THE PARTICIPATION OF THE RUMANIAN EXPERTS AT THE WORLD SYMPOSIUM ON AIDS. INITIATIVE OF THE RADICAL PARTY AND OF THE RADICAL PARLIAMENTARIANS.
Florence, 8 May 1991. 48 hours before its scheduled beginning, the Italian-Soviet day of research on the subject "heterosexual HIV infection hazards", organized by the Italy-USSR association with the cooperation of the Latium region and the sponsorship of the Health Ministry, has been cancelled.
The organizational secretariat informed that the meeting will not take place because the Soviet researchers, invited to participate, have not obtained the permit to participate in the meeting. "I have not understood whether the Soviet colleagues who were supposed to come from the Soviet Union were not able to obtain their visa, or if they were not given the authorization to talk about AIDS", said Professor Ferdinando Aiuti, one of the Italian guests. "In any case, I am perplexed faced to a regime which proves to have made a regression compared to the recent democratic aspirations".
Aiuti also expressed his concern for the possible participation of the Rumanian scientists at the world congress on AIDS in Florence. "They have been invited over three months ago, and they cannot obtain the necessary permits yet". (...) "I judge this situation to be extremely serious; researchers should have the possibility to travel, to exchange opinions and scientific knowledge".
The Radical parliamentarians Tessari, Bonino and Cicciomessere presented an urgent parliamentary interpellation to the Minister of Health and to the Foreign Minister. Marco Taradash, antiprohibitionist parliamentarian, presented a similar document at the European Parliament. Marco Pannella also sent a letter on the subject to the President of Rumania Iliescu.
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Italy
TV DEBATES ON THE REFERENDUM: THE COMMITTEE OF INSPECTION HAS DECIDED TO CHLOROFORM THE DEBATE. AN ATTEMPT AGAINST THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF THE CITIZENS. STATEMENT BY PEPPINO CALDERISI.
Rome, 9 May 1991. "The Committe had decided to chloroform the debate on the referendum: no contradictory political debate, no evening programs (except two initial round tables on 16 and 17 May and the final appeal), three weeks of electoral campaign instead of thirty days, and especially no recommendation to the RAI to consider the referendum which concerns 45 million Italians more than a marginal fact. This is a scandal. Does the President of the Republic have any comment to make on the subject?"
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Czechoslovakia
ASSEMBLY-CONGRESS OF THE CZECHOSLOVAKIAN RADICALS.
Prague, 11 May 1991. The second assembly-congress of the radicals operating in Czechoslovakia was held in Prague at the Klub Techniku. The meeting - attended by about one hundred people - was opened with the message sent to Prague by the First Secretary of the Radical Party Sergio Stanzani, and then by a long report by Richard Stockar on the Radical Party's activity in Czechoslovakia. Among the participants Ivan Douda (psychologist, member of the Radical Party) who dealt with the problem of drugs and antiprohibitionist activities, John Bok, the liberal leader Moucka and the Green Stepanec. A significant presence was that of Petr Cibulka, one of the foremost dissidents of the Communist regime. At the end of the assembly-congress, Cibulka announced he would join the Radical Party.
At the end of the meeting, the participants decided to endorse Stockar's report and to create the "League of Radicals for the Anglo-Saxon majority system", a Radical association open to non-Radicals as well.
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Czechoslovakia
THE NEW ORGANS OF THE RADICAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF EUROPE.
Prague, 11 May 1991. Richard Stockar and Daniel Vesely were elected respectively secretary and treasurer or the Association. Olga Cekurova (Prague), Petr Cibulka (Brno), Lev Havlicek /Karlovy Vary), Jan Honner (Brno), Milan Kocik (Zdar), Milan Koselka (Karlovy Vary), Milan Krapacek (Chomutov), Monika Menzelova (Prague), Emil Scuka (Prague), Martin Sulek (Prague), Tomas Vanek (Prague), were elected members of the secretariat. Irena Krizova and Hana Sucha were elected members of the treasury. John Bok was re-elected honorary president.
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Italy
GENERAL COUNCIL OF THE CORA, RADICAL ANTIPROHIBITIONIST COORDINATION. THE DOCUMENTS ADOPTED.
Rome, 11 May 1991. In its final document, the general Council of the CoRA (Radical Antiprohibitionist Coordination) underlines the complete failure of the prohibitionist law passed last year. According to the CoRa, it is a useless and dangerous law (there has been a major increase in the number of victims killed both by overdose and by organized crime). It also underlines the "close link between criminal activities for the control of the drug market and the degeneration of the legal State, creating the premises for authoritarian involutions; evidence of this are the renewed, authoritative requests to establish a state of war in certain Italian regions".
The CoRA also decided that the top priority for the antiprohibitionist coordination's activity in 1991 will be the campaign for the adhesion of the major Italian cities to the "Frankfurt Resolution".
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Italy
GENERAL COUNCIL OF THE CoRA, RADICAL ANTIPROHIBITIONIST COORDINATION. THE NEW ORGANS.
Rome, 12 May 1991. The general Council elected Rita Bernardini as its President; it ratified Vanna Barenghi and Luigi Cerina as Vice Secretaries and Lucio Berté, Vittorio Pezzuto, Enzo Cucco, Marco De Andreis, Roberta Tatafiore and Carla Rossi as members of the Direction. The treasurer appointed Gianni Laterza, Roberto Miglio and Carlo Pontesilli as co-treasurers.
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Soviet Union
SEARCH IN THE APARTMENT OF VALERIJA NOVODVORSKAJA, RADICAL, LEADER OF THE DEMOCRATIC UNION, IMPRISONED TEN DAYS BEFORE.
Moscow, 13 May 1991. The apartment of Valerija Novodvorskaja, imprisoned ten days ago for her participation in the demonstration in front of the Mossoviet, was searched by KGB officers Colonel Sokolov and Captain Janalov. The officers abducted Valerija Novodvorskaja's archive.
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Hungary
MEETING OF THE ARKo, RADICAL ANTIPROHIBITIONIST COORDINATION.
Budapest, 13 May 1991. The first meeting of the members of the ARKo was held in the headquarters of the Radical Party. The meeting was also attended by people who were interested in the problem of drugs. After an illustration of the general purposes of the Association by Eduardo Rozsa, Istvan Sebesi and Anna Tothfalusi, the participants discussed the first concrete initiatives to be carried out. They also decided to meet every Monday at 6 p.m. at the Radical Party's headquarters (Tanacs Krt.9/IX - 1075 Budapest).
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Soviet Union - Belgium
RADICAL DELEGATION DENIED AUTHORIZATION TO GO TO BELGIUM TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SEMINAR ON CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION.
Moscow, 13 May 1991. The Vice Chief of Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces, Colonel General Krivosheyev, prevented the military juridical experts from being part of the delegation sponsored by the Supreme Soviet of USSR which was scheduled to take part in a seminar in Belgium on the subject of alternative civil service. Lieutenant-Colonel Anatolij Pchelintsev and Captain Michael Timofeev, the experts who were denied the permission, are members of the Supreme Soviet's committee for the development of the legislation on alternative civil service and the authors of "Foundations for a legislation on alternative civil service in USSR". The delegation consisted also of members of the Radical Party and of the non-governmental organization "Window to Europe". General Krivosheyev refused to give explanations about his refusal.
