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| Open letter to the Danish Prime Minister | Date: 08-02-2002 |
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Euro-Med sent this letter to the Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and the Foreign Minister, Per Stig Moeller, on behalf of its more than 60 members in support of the DCHR Dear Sir On behalf of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network, I take the opportunity to address the concern of our members regarding the plans of your government to dismantle the Danish Centre for Human Rights. The Danish Centre for Human Rights has over the past years become one of the most respected and constructive human rights institutions in Europe and the Mediterranean region. It has fulfilled its role as an independent national human rights institution in a way to become an lead example for the establishment of similar institutions on the basis of the UN Principles relating to the status of national human rights institutions (the Paris principles of 1993). Its contribution to the support of the NGO sector in Africa is one of its important achievements. The Danish Centre for Human Rights was also instrumental in the establishment of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network. This is one of the reasons why the EMHRN General Assembly in 1997 decided to choose Copenhagen as the location for its head quarter. The EMHRN is now hosted by the Danish Centre for Human Rights and benefits from its positive environment while enjoying full political and financial independence. Seen in the light of the latest development, we consider the decision to dismantle the Danish Centre and to reconstruct it in a new form as creating grave prejudice to the human rights cause in the region which comprises Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, PNA, Turkey, Cyprus and Malta in addition to the EU countries. Government interference in independent human rights organisations’ work is regrettably not unknown to our part of the world and we believe that the dismantling of a national human rights institution by the upcoming Danish Presidency of the EU will be seriously counter productive to the work of developing independent civil society organisations in the Euro-Mediterranean region. We therefore kindly ask you to reconsider your decision and to ensure full continuity in the work of the Danish Centre for Human Rights as an independent national human rights institution. On behalf of the EMHRN Yours sincerely Abdelaziz Bennani, President, EMHRN cc. Members of the EMHRN National Organisations Ligue Algérienne des Droits de l’Homme, Algérie. Ligue Algérienne pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme, Algérie. Syndicat National des Avocats Algériens, Algérie. Bruno Kreisky Foundation for Human Rights , Austria. Jeunesse Maghrébine, Belgique. The Danish Centre for Human Rights, Denmark. Danish Helsinki Committee, Denmark. Danish United Nations Association, Denmark. Tampere Peace Research Institute, Finland. Ligue des Droits de l´Homme, France. Fédération des Tunisiens pour une Citoyenneté des Deux Rives (FTCR), France. Greek Helsinki Monitor, Greece Greek Committee for International Democratic Solidarity, Greece. 80:20 Education and Citizens for a Better World, Ireland. Arab Association for Human Rights, Israel. B´Tselem, Israel. Intercenter, Italy. Italian Helsinki Commitee, Italy. Italian Refugee Council, Italy. Al Urdun al Jedid Research Centre, Jordan. Foundation for Human & Humanitarian Rights, Libanon. Institute for Human Rights, Beirut Bar Association, Libanon. René Moawad Foundation, Libanon. Mediterranean Academy for Diplomatic Studies, Malta. Organisation Marocaine des Droits de Humains (OMDH), Maroc. Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc, Maroc. Espace Associatif, Maroc LAW, Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, PNA Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Gaza, PNA. Comité pour le Respect des Libertés et des Droits de l´homme en Tunisie, France. Conseil National pour les Libertés en Tunisie (CNLT) Swedish Refugee Council (SRC), Sweden Comités pour la Défense des Libertés Démocratiques et des Droits de l’Homme en Syrie, (CDF), Syrie/France. Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK Damascus Centre for Theoretical and Civil Rights Studies, Sweden Ligue Tunisienne des Droits de l’Homme, Tunisie. Human Rights Association, Turkey Human Rights Centre, University of Essex, UK Mouvement Franco-Libanais, SOLIDA, Paris ADALAH, The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, Israel The Public Committee against Torture, Israel International Association for the Protection of Human Rights in Cyprus, Cyprus Rights and Freedom Association-Cyprus, Cyprus Palestinian Human Rights Organisation, Lebanon Regional Organisations Institut Arabe des Droits de l’Homme, Tunisie. Cairo Institute for Human rights Studies (CIHRS), Egypt. Centre for Media Freedom, MENA, UK. Collectif 95 - Maghreb Egalité. Forum des Citoyens de la Méditerranée, France. Kurdish Human Rights project (KHRP), UK Forum des Migrants de l’UE, Belgique. Associate Organisations International Helsinki Federation, Austria. Amnesty International, EUAssociation. Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l’Homme, FIDH, France. Article 19, UK. Penal Reform International, France/UK. Euro-Arab dialogue from below, the Netherlands. Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Norway. International Service for Human Rights, Switzerland Human Rights Watch, USA ACSUR Las Segovias, Association for Co-Operation with the South, Spain Individual Members M. Madjid Benchikh, Professeur de Droit, Algérie/ France. M. Mohamed Tahri, Avocat, Algérie Mr Hans Kjellund, Lawyer, Denmark. M.Khémaïs Chammari, Expert Consultant, France Ms Christine Merkel, German Commission for UNESCO, Germany. Ms Annette Jünemann, Researcher, Germany Ms Anna Bozzo, Researcher, Italy Ms Sae’da Kilani, Writer, Jordan. Ms Samira Trad, Consultante, Liban. M. Moncef Marzouki, ancien président de la Ligue tunisienne pour la Défence des Droits de l’Homme. Mr Atham Naisse, Lawyer, Syria Mr. Philip Rudge, former secretary general, European Council on Refugees and Exiles, UK Ms Caroline Stainier, Lawyer, Avocats sans Frontières, Belgium Per Stadig, Lawyer, Sweden For further information please contact: Marc Schade-Poulsen, Executive Director / Marit Floe Joergensen, Information Officer Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Network, Wilders Plads 8 H, DK-1403 Copenhagen K, Denmark Tel: +45-32 69 89 12 / Fax: +45-32 69 89 01 E-mail: info@euromedrights.net |
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