Assembleia Geral da ONU suspende Líbia do Conselho dos Direitos Humanos

1 March 2011 – The General Assembly today suspended Libya from the United Nations Human Rights Council for “gross and systematic” human rights violations because of President Muammar Al-Qadhafi’s violent repression of peaceful protesters demanding his ouster.

The vote by the 192-member Assembly, for which a two-thirds majority was required, followed a request last Friday from the Geneva-based Council itself that it suspend the North African country – one of the top UN right’s body’s 47 elected members – and was passed by acclamation.

It was the latest measure taken against Mr. Qadhafi’s regime by the UN, where the Security Council has already imposed sanctions and requested that the International Criminal Court investigate it for possible crimes against humanity. Only Venezuela expressed reservations about Tuesday’s suspension on the grounds that an investigation was needed first – but it did not stand in the way of the vote.

Terming the Qadhafi regime’s actions “flagrant human rights violations,” the President of the General Assembly, Joseph Deiss, warned that there can be no security or development without respect for rights.

“The credibility of the international community, the United Nations General Assembly, the Security Council and the Human Rights Council is at stake in ensuring that these rights are respected and that human rights violations are punished,” he told the representatives gathered in the hall before the vote.

“Today it is up to us, the General Assembly, to do our part. We must show unity and resolve in our determination to promote the fundamental values of the Charter,” Mr. Deiss added. “This is our duty to all the men and women who are hoping and struggling to have their rights respected and who, today, are running the greatest risks. Their hopes must not be dashed.”

Also addressing the Assembly before the vote, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced grave concern at the continued loss of life, “the ongoing repression of the population and the clear incitement to violence against the civilian population by Colonel Qadhafi and his supporters.”

Mr. Ban said the actions taken by the various UN bodies send a strong and important message – “a message of great consequence within the region and beyond: that there is no impunity, that those who commit crimes against humanity will be punished, that fundamental principles of justice and accountability shall prevail.”

The Human Rights Council was established in 2006 to replace the UN Commission on Human Rights, which had been considered ineffective. The 47 countries that make up the Council’s membership are elected by secret majority vote of the General Assembly based on geographical distribution, and serve for three years, with no more than two consecutive terms. Libya was elected last year with its term scheduled to end in 2013.

Mr. Ban warned of a crisis marked by on-going violence, a growing humanitarian emergency and a political situation that could quickly deteriorate further. He cited reports that government had opened arms depots and arsenals “to gangs who terrorize communities” and that its forces had fired indiscriminately on peaceful protesters.

The Secretary-General stated that the international community must recognize that any changes to societies in the region “must come from within.”

“Above all, this means local ownership and local leadership, consistent with popular aspirations for dignity and justice,” Mr. Ban said. “In this great and noble quest, the United Nations stands ready to assist in every way possible, should the people of the region and their governments request our help.”

He noted that while the death toll from nearly two weeks of violence in Libya is unknown, it is likely to exceed 1,000, with thousands injured. “Credible and consistent reports include allegations of extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests, detention and torture,” the Secretary-General said.

Citing a growing crisis of refugees and displaced persons, with nearly 150,000 people already fleeing to Tunisia and Egypt, he warned that the violence could disrupt distribution networks and lead to food shortages.

“In these difficult and unpredictable circumstances, it is critical that the international community remain united,” he said, citing his meeting yesterday in Washington, D.C., with United States President Barack Obama, and talks he plans to hold with other world and regional leaders in the coming days.

“Our collective challenge will be to provide real protection for the people of Libya – first, to halt the violence and, second, to deal with the growing humanitarian emergency,” Mr. Ban said. “The arms embargo, travel ban and assets freeze imposed by Security Council resolution 1970 must be swiftly and effectively enforced. We need concrete action on the ground to provide humanitarian and medical assistance. Time is of the essence. Thousands of lives are at risk.”

In the coming days, UN assessment teams will deploy to organize the humanitarian response, working on the ground where they can in the eastern and western regions of Libya, Mr. ban said, adding that he would bring together the heads of UN humanitarian agencies and international and regional groups including the Arab League, the African Union and the Organization of Islamic Conference to consolidate the response, for which he plans to appoint a Special Envoy.

UN News Service

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Sextas-feiras da Liberdade, por Tariq Ramadan

Tariq Ramadan
February 25, 2011

Freedom Fridays

Today, more than ever, homage is due to the historical uprising of the Tunisian people. Millions of women and men overcame fear and faced down terror. The Egyptian people followed their example and brought down the despot.

While the regimes may still be in place, an irreversible, uncontrollable movement has begun. North Africa and the Middle East will never again be the same. Whatever the schemes of military and the Western powers for political, geopolitical and economic control, a new dynamic has been created. Non-violent, determined and courageous mass movements have shown that anything is possible, that History is now forging ahead in the Arab world and the Muslim majority countries. 

From now on, it will be impossible to silence the craving for freedom and to halt the onward march of liberation, even though setbacks and missteps may occur.

The people of Libya have now taken to the streets and, city after city, freed its country from the grip of the eccentric dictator of Tripoli. The despot’s madness, as cunning as it is unpredictable, has not yet spoken its last. But it is clear that he too will fall ; that Libya will be freed of the horrors of his long reign. 

He too stole, tortured, summarily eliminated, and lied. For more than forty years he cleverly manipulated, provoked and humiliated the Western powers. Today, his own people have courageously chosen to confront him empty-handed. 

It is a question of vital importance to salute them, encourage them, assist them and support them. 

There is little that can be done from outside. But the movement is gathering strength ; we must do all we can to convince our own authorities to take a clear and forthright position. It will not come a moment too soon ! For how dismal is the now-confirmed revelation of years of silence, hypocrisy and falsehood : the Orient now stands as a revealing and distorting mirror in which the craven policies of the United States, of Canada, of Europe and Australia are reflected. 

Today, the people in revolt are chanting not a word of reproach toward the West. It could do no better than shake itself out of its stupor, as the Arab world is now doing. Courageous self-criticism is worth far more than guilty silence. Wait not a moment longer !

In Yemen, Bahrain, and Iraq ; in Morocco, Algeria, Iran, and Jordan… peoples are calling out their desire for freedom and dignity. Expressed in their Friday gatherings, the power of the people defies description ; the symbolism is overwhelming, irresistible. Muslim women and Muslim men, praying together, give voice to the universal human aspiration for liberty, justice and dignity, for the power of sovereign people. 

For those who have, over the years, painted Muslims as impermeable to the ideals of liberty and democracy, and naturally inclined to violence—due to the very essence of Islam—the answer is clear-cut and unequivocal : tens of millions of Muslims, on these Fridays, have chosen the path of resistance, of sacrifice and of liberation in a spirit of non-violence, respect for life, without ever criticizing the West, its values and its betrayals. They have done so alongside Christians, Anglicans and Copts, alongside atheists, communists, and citizens of all beliefs and ideologies. What finer answer could there be to the simple-minded, racist analyses propagated by populist parties in the West? 

On Freedom Fridays, with its massive crowds coming together to pray in the name of resistance and liberty, we witness, in real time, Islam—and of Muslims—joining forces with liberty, justice and democratic principles. 

That the first European leader to have greeted the resisting peoples and called upon the dictators to leave was the Turkish Prime Minister should serve as a caustic reminder of the value of the short-sighted and tendentious analyses of the “Muslim world” that have long infested Western diplomacy and intellectual life.

The movement must not end here. We must hope that the peoples continue their onward march, that they completely free themselves from the yoke of the tyrants and complete their democratic revolution. 

The final word has not yet been spoken, either in Tunisia, Egypt or Libya or elsewhere, but the movement will surely prove stronger than those who are attempting to control it. Therein lies its power. 

It is essential that all the components of the pluralist opposition seize this historic occasion to dialogue, to establish common fronts representing civil society in order that army commanders do not turn the revolution to their advantage, or to the advantage of foreign political or economic powers. We must hope that governments pay heed. 

They must either implement thoroughgoing reform or leave the scene entirely, and make way for systems of government that respect the popular will, and that apply uncompromisingly the five basic and inalienable principles : the rule of law, equality of all citizens, universal suffrage, limited electoral terms (accountability) and the separation of powers. This is the imperative, and the minimum acceptable : without corruption, insider privilege, and in full independence.

We must hope that the movement continues to spread throughout North Africa and the Middle East…up to and including Israel, that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his racist foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman also be overthrown and with them, the interminable policy of colonization and non-respect of the dignity of the Palestinians and the Arab citizens of Israel.

On Freedom Fridays, everything is possible. Full of hope, with clear eyes, we must hail the march of the peoples and remind governments—whoever they may be, those of the tyrants or the shameless friends of those same tyrants—that nothing lasts forever, that despots and traitors can never be eternally shielded from their peoples, or from the judgment of History.

Uma carta dos The Elders escrita por Gro Brundtland - Palestina, Chipre, Sudão alguns dos temas,

Dr Gro Brundtland Dear friends, What a momentous start to the year! Who could have imagined that a wave of people power would topple leaders in Egypt and Tunisia in just a matter of weeks? I have been so impressed to see young people across the Arab world seize the initiative and articulate their vision for a better future. They have sounded a stark warning to their leaders: we have a right to demand change and we have the will to achieve it. I think my friend Desmond Tutu expressed many people's feelings when he tweeted: "Brothers & sisters of #Egypt, you have given the world the most precious gift: the belief that ultimately right will prevail." However we are also dismayed at the loss of life that has occurred, most recently in Libya, and remind governments, security services, political parties and citizens of the rights of people to campaign for change and reform in their own societies. We stand with all those crying for freedom and seeking the chance to participate in the decisions that affect their lives. Middle East – we need a new and fairer peace process As we watch men and women across the Arab world demonstrate for freedom and basic rights, we must point out that these matters are no less urgent in the West Bank and Gaza. For the Palestinians and for Israel, the need for lasting peace, an end to occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state cannot be ignored. We wrote to the US government urging Washington not to block a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an end to Israeli settlement activity. Elders Mary Robinson, Ela Bhatt and Jimmy Carter in Jerusalem, October 2010 Not only did this resolution reflect global consensus, it was consistent with long-standing US policy on the incompatibility of settlement construction with efforts to advance peace. Regrettably, the US vetoed the resolution, an action that stands in contrast to growing calls for freedom, justice and basic human rights echoing today around the Middle East and Maghreb region. In our view, there is an urgent need for a new and fairer peace process. Only a principled stance by the entire international community is likely to bring about a just and secure peace for all Israelis and Palestinians. Building a shared future in Cyprus From The Elders' documentary, "Cyprus: Digging the Past in Search of the Future" Just a few weeks ago Desmond Tutu and I visited Cyprus and the UK. We were there to launch a new Elders' documentary about the search for the remains of thousands of missing persons killed in conflict and violence in Cyprus during the 1960s and 1970s. We were joined by four wonderful teenagers who appear in the film – two Turkish Cypriots and two Greek Cypriots – who grew up in separate communities, but have come together to try to understand the events of the past and build a better future. It is not always easy for these students, who often face suspicion and even animosity about mixing with the 'other side'. Michael Panayi wrote a very moving blog where he talks frankly about the challenges he faces from people who don't think peace is possible. As you can read in my own blog, we left Cyprus a little less optimistic about the current peace negotiations. However, meeting young people as articulate, thoughtful and committed as Thalia, Michael, Idil and Tayfun gives me genuine hope that people can succeed in bringing down barriers between the communities, even if their leaders are dragging their feet. South Sudan – welcoming a new nation In a historic referendum in January, the people of South Sudan voted to secede from the north of the country. We commend the leaders and people of Sudan for the orderly and peaceful conduct of the poll – no easy feat in the largest country in Africa. South Sudan – which will become Africa's newest country in July – will face many hurdles and we caution that much needs to be done to develop a country where a girl is more likely to die in childbirth than to learn to read or write. As my fellow Elder Graça Machel stated: Elders Graça Machel and Jimmy Carter in Sudan, October 2007 "It is now up to the leaders in the South to manage the immense expectations of the people for better schools, healthcare and infrastructure and greater economic opportunities, especially for women and youth." Your messages Thank you for all your thoughts and ideas. I particularly enjoyed reading a message from Chier from Sudan, who wrote to tell us how he felt as the people of South Sudan cast their vote after many years of war; "It has been a very important moment after a long struggle... Today, the world has given Southerners a chance to determine their fate." Best wishes, Gro Having trouble reading this email? View it in your browser. Want to share it? Forward to a friend. THE ELDERS | ABOUT THE ELDERS | MEDIA | CONNECT  Follow The Elders on Twitter    Join us on Facebook The Elders Foundation, PO BOX 60837, London W6 6GS Company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales, Reg. No. 6317151. Registered charity in England and Wales, Reg. No. 1132397.