TRANSNATIONAL FAX N. 14
Information bulletin on the campaigns of the Transnational Radical Party
Issue 14 July 10, 1997
------------------------------------------------------------
* Editor's Office: Mihai Romanciuc, Via di Torre Argentina 76, 00186
Rome (IT). Tel +39-6-689.791 Fax 6880.5396
E-Mail; radical.party@agora.stm.it
URL; http://www.agora.stm.it/pr - Telnet; Agora.stm.it
* Printing and Distribution: Alberto Novi - rue Belliard 89, Rem 508, 1047 Brussels (B) tel. +32-2-2304121 Fax: +32-2-2303670.
* Published in English, Italian, French, Russian, and Spanish.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Dear friends,
a large section of this Transnational Fax is dedicated to the speech, facilitated by the Transnational Radical Party's function as a NGO with Class One consultative status within the United Nations, delivered by the TRP to the UN Drug Commission in Vienna. It is the first event of its kind within that forum and, judging by the reaction, an event that shattered a certain logic of silence which had prevailed and continues to prevail in other official offices concerning the dramatic nature, causes, and consequences which the fallout of prohibitionism casts upon our societies, and on our planet.
On another important international front, that of the construction, through the establishment of the International Criminal Court, of a first section of international law and justice, an important success of participation and raising of consciousness was the result of the first regional conference in Paris, which was organized by "No Peace Without Justice," an organization federated to the TRP. The conference, which was presided over by Robert Badinter, President of the French Constitutional Court, and European Commissioner Emma Bonino, also saw the attendance of former UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali, Vice-President of the Preparatory Committee for the Statutes of the ICC Cherif Bassiouni, French Minister of Health Bernard Kouchner, and President of the Preparatory Committee Adriaan Boos.
Worrisome and sad news has arrived from the Chinese prison of Tangshan, however. Wei Jingsheng, the famous Chinese dissident, who was awarded the 1996 Sacharov Prize by the European Parliament and who is our candidate for the 1997 Nobel Prize for Peace, was brutally beaten by other inmates, who were then rewarded by the prison authorities. It is the latest reaction by Chinese authorities, and one which only reinforces our determination to reject the politics of blind collaboration with Peking that is being sought ever more openly by our governments.
The mobilization on these fronts and others must be strengthened. Concrete initiatives are not scarce. What is lacking, however, and as of today remain far from sufficient levels, is the choice of those who read this to become active members of the Transnational Radical Party.
Greetings to everyone, and good work!
--------------------------------------------
DRUG ANTIPROHIBITIONISM
--------------------------------------------
>>> THE TRANSNATIONAL RADICAL PARTY'S SPEECH AT THE UNITED NATION
The Transnational Radical Party delivered, for the first time, a speech addressed to the UN Commission in Vienna that is responsible for preparing the Special Session for the UN General Assembly that will be held in 1998.
In its speech, the TRP emphasized the fact that the same official UN documents and reports (the latest of which is the recently published Global Report, which estimates that 8% of the world's commerce consists of drug distribution) cannot be read as anything other than a confirmation of the disastrous results of current policies. Such an observation has yet to be reflected upon within the UN for the necessity of reforming the International Conventions, which are actually modelled upon a strict prohibitionism. (The entire text of the speech follows on page two.)
--------------------------------------------
UNIVERSAL ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY
--------------------------------------------
>>> THE O'DELL CASE: "HANDS OFF CAIN" PROMOTES AN INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN REQUESTING THAT A PARDON BE GRANTED BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF VIRGINIA.
The Supreme Court of the state of Virginia has decreed that July 23rd will be the date of Joseph O'Dell's execution. The only person who can stay the execution is George Allen, the Governor of the state of Virginia, who may do so by granting a pardon. The "Hands Off Cain" association, which was successful in obtaining a revision of O'Dell's case last year, has relaunched a major campaign through the sending of thousands of messages via the Internet and via fax to the Governor of the state. With the help of the Transnational Radical Party a mobilization for the approval of resolutions that ask for the granting of a pardon and the re-opening of the O'Dell case is underway in various Parliaments.
Those who wish to add their voices to the campaign may do so by sending a message to the governor via the Internet at: http://dit1.state.va.us/governor/govmail.htm
or via fax: ++1-804-371.6351
--------------------------------------------
DEMOCRACY IN CHINA
--------------------------------------------
>> WEI JINGSHENG BEATEN BY OTHER INMATES
Worrisome news has arrived from China. In addition to Wei's extremely poor health conditions, a vicious beating has now been added to Wei's list of woes. The incident occurred this past June, and was delivered by other prisoners. Wei, who is a candidate for the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, is currently serving a 15 year sentence in the Tangshan prison in northeastern China. According to what his family reported to Human Rights watch, Wei was brutally beaten by other inmates, who were rewarded with reductions of their own sentences. In order to relaunch the mobilization, the Transnational Radical Party will begin a campaign aimed at the greatest number of communities in the coming days. Its objective is to
have orders of the day decreed in favor of Wei's liberation, as well as to reopen his trial, and, finally, to support his candidacy to the Nobel Peace Prize.
--------------------------------------------
FREEDOM FOR TIBET
--------------------------------------------
>>> TIBET: THE DEBATE OVER THE SATYAGRAHA, THE NONVIOLENT GLOBAL INITIATIVE FOR TIBET'S FREEDOM, CONTINUES IN THE PAGES OF THE ELECTRONIC JOURNAL
"FREEDOM FOR TIBET, DEMOCRACY FOR CHINA."
For further information contact: "FREEDOM FOR TIBET, DEMOCRACY FOR CHINA FAX" Tel: +36-1-266.34.86 or 266.09.35
Fax: 11.87.937 E-Mail M.Lensi@agora.stm.it
WWW-Url: http//: www.agora.stm.it/pr/
--------------------------------------------
HUMAN RIGHTS
--------------------------------------------
>> UN/COMMITTEE ON DECOLONIZATION
During the special hearing of the committee of 24 on the question of decolonization, the TRP spoke concerning the situation in East Timor. After 450 years of Portuguese rule, East Timor was invaded by Indonesian troops after the fall of the fascist regime in Portugal in 1975, which annexed East Timor as the 27th province of the Republic of Indonesia. It was this event which interrupted the process of decolonization by the former Portuguese empire, and which initiated the current regime of violence and terror. The Transnational Radical Party spoke in favor of the necessity that the aspirations of the Maubere people be realized through a popular referendum supervised by the UN. The TRP solicited that a joint United Nations-European Union mission be organized to monitor
the human rights situation and contrasted the request for an ad hoc tribunal for crimes committed in East Timor because it would deplete funds, energy, and time that are needed by the international community for the creation of a permanent international criminal court. The speech was interrupted 3 times by the Indonesian delegation. The committee of 24
will include the NGO speeches within its report to the General Assembly.
------------------------------------------------------
>>> BURMA/ROUND TABLE ON THE ENVIRONMENT//HUMAN RIGHTS
------------------------------------------------------
On the eve of the UN Earth Summit the TRP, together with Burma's UN office, World View International Foundation and Open Society, co-sponsored a round table discussion on the human rights situation and the environment. A message by 1991 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was read which addressed the timber industry, working conditions, refugee camps, and drug trafficking. Those who participated included Dr, Thaung Htun (Representative of the Burmese Opposition for UN Affairs), Edith Marje (Director of the Maje Project), Tim Keating (Director of Rainforest Relief), and Marco Perduca (Transnational Radical Party).
------------------------------------------------------
=== >>> MEMBERSHIP AND CONTRIBUTION FORM <<< ===
------------------------------------------------------
Pladge of ................... (equivalent of USD......)
- 1997 membership of the Transnational Radical Party 1997 (see quote at bottom)
- Contribution for the campaign .................
.........................................................
First Name...............................................
Last Name................................................
Place and date of birth..................................
Address (street, city, zip, nation)...........................
.........................................................
Tel........................... Fax.......................
Email................................
Payment:
1. With a credit card:
Credit card Account Number..............................
Card Company......................
Signature......................... Date of Exp...../.....
Send this form by fax to: +32-2-230.36.70 - 284.91.97 / 98
or phone to: +32-2-230.41.21
2. Through a bank (transfer):
Have deposit sent to:
Transnational Radical Party
(Banking Institute - BBL Agency of European Parliament, rue Belliard 97-113 - 1047 Brussels BELGIUM)
(Account #) 310-1075385-32
_______________________
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
_______________________
--------------------------------------------
DRUG ANTIPROHIBITIONISM : THE SPEECH
--------------------------------------------
COMMISSION ON NARCOTIC DRUGS
acting as preparatory body for the special session of the General Assembly
Vienna, July, 7-9th 1997
STATEMENT BY THE TRANSNATIONAL RADICAL PARTY
Mr. Chairman,
The Transnational Radical Party has already expressed its criticism of the policies adopted so far by the United Nations regarding the problem of substances that are placed under international control by the International Conventions. These, however, have not prevented us from attentively monitoring the effects of the policies of the governing bodies. Such attentive analyses remain a point of reference and are the point of departure for this document.
Certain passages of the 1996 International Committee Report on narcotics control are exemplary of how the current policies have worsened current problems and created new deficiencies, and without ever considering, in a pragmatic sense, that these policies are not only inefficient, but also harmful.
The second paragraph of the first chapter of the report states the following: "The Committee has documented an increase in the amount of opiates, amphetamines, and other psychotropic substances, as well as cocaine, that have been seized in recent years [...] This evolution reveals both the aggravation of the problem of drug abuse, but is due also to the improvement of the means of repression."
The third paragraph states: "The Committee believes that, despite the intensification of repressive strategies, the production and shipment of drugs, as well as their consumption has extended to regions of the world which, before recently, had never known the problem".
In the fourth paragraph, it is concluded that the actual situation, which strikes small scale dealers and consumers more than the large distributors, "can generate a sentiment of injustice and unfairness towards the penal system in the hearts of the people. Many jurisdictions are subject to the combined effect of the intense distribution and consumption of illegal drugs, as well as the effects of stronger repressive measures and a larger prison population."
The sections cited above relate to only one dimension of the drug problem, which is that of the difficulties encountered by the penal system.
More explicitly, in its February 9th, 1996 resolution the General Assembly declared its "profound worry for the fact that, despite the increasing effort of nations and international organizations, the demand has increased for the illicit production and distribution of drugs and psychotropic substances, including synthetic and "designer" drugs, and, by consequence, that the global dissemination of these drugs seriously threatens the socio-economic systems, politics, and stability of nations and the sovereignty of an increasing number of states."
Neither the Committee nor the General Assembly, at the conclusion of their analyses, confronted the question of the cause of the onslaught or what remedies are now required. On one side, the power of the criminals tied to drug trafficking must already be coldly considered, as it is an incontrovertible fact and an inevitable of our times and our societies, and, on the other, we must reaffirm that this must not prevent us from fighting them with all of the necessary resources.
The final bell of warning, which risks being rung in vain, is the World Drug Report presented by the UNDCP two weeks ago. The methodological rigor and seriousness of the scientific analysis conducted therein paints a shocking picture of the diffusion of drugs throughout the world, and is able to expand upon solutions in correct terms of damage reduction and legalization. It is a pity that the UNDCP has taken a step away from its report, and does not assume the responsibility of representing these debates by utilizing the space to maneuver that it has been provided with.
Mr.Chairman,
If the United Nations Conference is to be prepared upon these presuppositions, the future is already lost. The experience of these policies has not brought any benefits, whether direct or indirect, and the value of its analyses are increasingly negative, to the point that it seems extremely difficult to change course without deep reforms. As has been noted, the failed arrival at an objective of the International Conventions is not as worrisome as the damages the policies have caused in trying to reach that objective.
We are aware of the fact that the drug policies are a matter of individual nations and that the role of the United Nations is to encourage and reinforce international cooperation. At the same time, we have noted with great pleasure, for example, that the problem of the treatment and reduction of drug-related health risks is considered far more seriously today than it was in the past.
PROPOSALS OF THE TRANSNATIONAL RADICAL PARTY TO THE PREPARATORY BODY FOR THE 1998 SPECIAL SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The Transnational Radical Party, in light of the 1998 Special Session of the General Assembly, solicits reflection on the following:
- on the policies adopted in certain nations which have signed the International Conventions (for example, Islamic nations) regarding the products derived from alcohol, a substance which is not subject to international control;
- on the fact that the UN cannot continue to present minimal "limits" of the penalties, without simultaneously defining the maximum acceptable limits more clearly. We find ourselves in the paradoxical situation of watching the ostracization of nations that have democratically decided not to prosecute consumers, without there ever being any sort of condemnation for the nations that often resort to the death penalty for the simple possession of substances that are subject to international control.
- on the necessity of the UN's determined opposition to the extant limits regarding the laws for the cure of citizens who are addicts, and the consequent obstacles placed upon the freedom of physicians.
The Transnational Radical Party, in view of the 1998 Special Session of the General Assembly, proposes a pragmatic work method: to conceive political decisions for the goal of controlling the problem, beginning with the acquisition and study, of all the available scientific facts.
To this end we would suggest to the Preparatory body commission two scientific studies with the aim of more throughly understanding the nature of the reforms that are to be adopted:
- Cost evaluation/Efficiency of the International Conventions, with particular focus on the markets where substances that are subject to control, and the impact of their presence upon social, economic, judicial, and health care systems;
Evaluation of the recent scientific researches regarding substances that are under the control of International Conventions, and the eventual proposal for the updating of the list of substances that are to be placed under international control.
An open political debate within the Preparatory Body that will result in the revision of the International Conventions should also be considered. We are not the only ones who request such a discussion. The European Parliament, in its report on the European Union's plan of action for 1995-1999, has recommended that a conference should be held which will "encourage reflection and analysis of the results of current policies, as they have been dictated by the UN Conventions of 1961, 1971, and 1988, and to also open the way for an eventual revision of those conventions."
Thank you Mr.Chairman.
