125 Leaders Urge UN - Investigate Cuba Dissident's Death

125 Leaders Urge UN: Investigate Cuba Dissident's Death
Tuesday, 23 July 2013, 2:54 pm
Press Release: UN Watch

One Year After Suspicious Death of Cuba's Top Dissident, 125 Leaders
Urge U.N. to Investigate

First Time: Appeal Filed As Official Submission to U.N. Human Rights
Council, Will Appear On Agenda of September Session

Signatories include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, European Parliament VP,
former presidents & foreign ministers, ambassadors, human rights
activists and dissidents

GENEVA, July 22 -- Marking the first anniversary of the suspicious
deaths of top Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya and activist Harold Cepero,
more than 100 public figures from around the world today called on the
highest officials of the United Nations to launch an international and
independent investigation. (See full text below.)

"Mounting and credible allegations that the Cuban government may have
been complicit in the murder of its most prominent critic, a leading
figure in the human rights world, cannot go ignored by the international
community," implores the petition.

While leading officials in the U.S. and elsewhere have previously spoken
out for an inquiry, this is the first time that the controversy will be
officially part of the UN's agenda.

The manifesto was filed today as an official submission to the United
Nations Human Rights Council by the Geneva-based non-governmental group
UN Watch, which organized the appeal together with a fellow human rights
group, the Cuban Democratic Directorate.

Under UN rules governing submissions by accredited NGOs, the appeal will
be circulated to all delegates as an official UN document, and placed on
the agenda of the Human Rights Council's upcoming September session,
increasing pressure for an inquiry, and for Cuba to answer for the
alleged killings.

High-level signatories of the appeal include Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
European Parliament Vice-President Edward McMillan-Scott, Chinese
dissident Yang Jianli, numerous former presidents, foreign ministers &
ambassadors, MPs and human rights activists.

The statement calls on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, High
Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, and all 193 UN member states
to support the call for an international investigation. Despite previous
entreaties, neither Ban nor Pillay have yet endorsed an inquiry.

UN Watch has been among the leading voices at the UN for human rights in
Cuba, often bringing dissidents to testify before the Human Rights Council.

In March, UN Watch brought Havana-based activist Rosa Maria Paya,
daughter of the slain dissident, to testify before the Council, where
she was rudely interrupted by the Cuban delegate.

In May, UN Watch revealed how Cuba used more than 400 front groups to
cheat on its quadrennial UN human rights review.

The activist group noted the irony that UNESCO has just honored Cuban
revolutionary Che Guevara by listing his works in the World Memory Register.

"Instead of the UN honoring Che Guevara -- a man of violence who boasted
about his firing squads to the UN General Assembly -- the world body
should really be honoring Oswaldo Paya, a man of non-violence and
disciple of Martin Luther King," said Hillel Neuer, executive director
of UN Watch.

As submitted today to UNHRC, to be placed on agenda of September 2013
session.

Appeal to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, High Commissioner
for Human Rights Navi Pillay and Ambassadors of all Member States
for an International Inquiry into the Death of Oswaldo Paya

Excellencies,

We urge you to support our demand for an international and independent
investigation into the alleged murder of Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá, a
world-renowned figure and recipient of the European Parliament's
Sakharov Prize, who died in a car crash in Bayamo, Cuba, on July 22,
2012, together with fellow activist Harold Cepero.

In dramatic testimony by the driver of the car, Ángel Carromero
describes, in a Washington Post interview dated 6 March 2013, how their
vehicle was followed, harassed and ultimately rammed from behind by a
car bearing government license plates. Mr. Carromero further alleges
that, following the crash, he was drugged, mistreated and coerced by
Cuban authorities into making a false confession.

The revelations corroborate the claims made by the families of the
victims and other witnesses, as well as the report by Spain's ABC news
agency about text messages sent contemporaneous with the incident from
the mobile phones of Mr. Carromero and another passenger, Aron Modig,
indicating that their car was chased and then hit, causing the crash.

Significantly, according to the family of Oswaldo Payá, state security
agents had repeatedly threatened to kill him.

Mounting and credible allegations that the Cuban government may have
been complicit in the murder of its most prominent critic, a leading
figure in the human rights world, cannot go ignored by the international
community.

The families of the victims, and the people of Cuba, have a right to
know the truth, and they have a right to justice. This can only happen
with the creation of an international and independent inquiry. We
therefore respectfully urge you to support our call.

Sincerely,

1. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate
2. Armando Calderon Sol, former President of El Salvador
3. Alfredo Cristiani, former President of El Salvador
4. Luis Alberto Lacalle, former President of Uruguay
5. Alejandro Toledo, former President of Peru
6. Luis Alberto Monge, former president of Costa Rica
7. Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice-President of European Parliament
8. Markus Meckel, former Foreign Minister of Germany
9. Irwin Cotler, MP, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of
Canada
10. Zbigniew Romaszewski, former Speaker of Polish Senate, a founder of
the Solidarity movement
11. Stanislav Shushkevich, former president of Supreme Soviet of
Belarus, a current opposition leader inBelarus
12. Arnold Vaatz MP, Deputy Leader CDU,Germany
13. Emma Henriksson MP, Group leader, The Christian Democrats, The
Swedish National Parliament
14. Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson, former Foreign Minister of Iceland
15. Emanuelis Zingeris MP, Lithuania, President of Parliamentary Forum
for Democracy
16. Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida, Unió Democràtica de Catalunya
President, President of the External Affairs Commission of the Spanish
Parliament
17. Mantas Adomênas MP, Lithuania
18. Laura Alonso, MP,Argentina
19. Mbarka Bouaida, former MP,Morocco
20. Philip Claeys, MEP, Belgium
21. Michael Danby, MP,Australia
22. Mátyás Eörsi, Secretary-General of Parliamentary Forum for
Democracy, former MP,Hungary
23. David Kilgour, former MP,Canada
24. Adam Lipinski MP, former State Secretary of Poland
25. Martin Palouš, former Ambassador,Czech Republic
26. Marija Aušrinė Pavilioniene MP,Lithuania
27. Marco Perduca, Italian Senator, co-vicepresident of Nonviolent
Radical Party
28. Hillel Neuer, Executive Director, United Nations Watch
29. John Suarez, International Secretary, Cuban Democratic Directorate
30. Carl Gershman, President, the National Endowment for Democracy
31. Ken Wollack, President, National Democratic Institute
32. Lorne Craner, President, International Republican Institute
33. David Kramer, President, Freedom House
34. Zohra Yusuf, Chairperson, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
35. Yang Jianli, Chinese dissident and former political prisoner,
President of Initiatives for China
36. Carlos E. Ponce, General Coordinator, Latin American and Caribbean
Network for Democracy
37. Faisal Fulad, Secretary General, Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society
38. Art Kaufman, Senior Director, World Movement for Democracy, National
Endowment for Democracy
39. Alessandro Pettenuzzo, European Union of Public Relations
40. Lehlohonolo Chefa, Executive Director, Policy Analysis and Research
Institute of Lesotho
41. Anki Flores, Former Secretary-General of the Antiracism Information
Service, Geneva
42. Shauna Leven, Director, René Cassin organization
43. Bhawani Shanker Kusum, Executive Director, Gram Bharati Samiti, India
44. Duy Hoang, Spokesperson, Viet Tan
45. Dickson Ntwiga, Executive Director, Solidarity House International
Foundation
46. Nazanin Afshin-Jam, President, Stop Child Executions
47. Atamao Kane, President, South Pan-African International
48. Okay Machisa, Zimbabwe Human Rights Association
49. Obinna Egbuka, President, Youth Enhancement Organization
International Multiracial Shared Cultural Organization
50. Zofia Romaszewska, a founders of the Solidarity movement, Poland
51. Fernando Savater, philosopher, writer and activist, Spain
52. D. José Luis Orella, President, Foro Arbil, Spain
53. Sasha Gosh-Siminoff, Executive Director, Syrian Emergency Task Force
54. Jorge Ocejo Moreno, President, Organización Demócrata Cristiana de
América, Former Mexican Senator
55. Viktorija Bražiūnaitė, Chair, Young Leaders Forum
56. Mazen Hasan, Chairman, Syrian Expatriates Organization
57. Janelle Saffin MP, Australia
58. Egidijus Vareikis MP, Lithuania
59. Renate Wohlwend MP, Lichtenstein
60. Algis Chaste MP, Lithuania
61. Rimantas Jonas Days MP, Lithuania
62. Corina Fusu MP, Moldova
63. Tadeusz Iwinski MP, Poland
64. Vytautas Juozapaitis MP, Lithuania
65. Liutauras Kazlavickas MP, Lithuania
66. Valeriu Munteanu MP, Moldova
67. Victor Popa MP, Moldova
68. Paulius Saudargas MP, Lithuania
69. Valeriu Saharneanu MP, Moldova
70. Werner Schulz MEP, Germany
71. Aurelija Stancikiene MP, Lithuania
72. Povilas Urbsys MP, Lithuania
73. FabianHamiltonMP, United Kingdom
74. Patricio Walker, Senator, Chile
75. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, former U.S. Congressman
76. Matteo Mecacci, former MP, Italy
77. András Schiffer MP, Hungary
78. Katalin Ertsey MP, Hungary
79. Eligijus Masiulis MP, Lithuania
80. Gintaras Steponavičius MP, Lithuania
81. Albinas Mitrulevičius MP, Lithuania
82. Irena Šiaulienė MP, Lithuania
83. Domas Petrulis MP, Lithuania
84. Algirdas Sysas MP, Lithuania
85. Raminta Popovienė MP, Lithuania
86. Gediminas Kirkilas MP, Lithuania
87. Arūnas Dudėnas MP, Lithuania
88. Orinta Leiputė MP, Lithuania
89. Audronė Pitrėnienė MP, Lithuania
90. Dangutė Mikutienė MP, Lithuania
91. Zita Žvikienė MP, Lithuania
92. Jolita Vaickienė MP, Lithuania
93. Valentinas Mazuronis MP, Lithuania
94. Vytautas Antanas Matulevičius MP, Lithuania
95. Linas Balsys MP, Lithuania
96. Vitalijus Gailius MP, Lithuania
97. Rokas Žilinskas MP, Lithuania
98. Juras Požėla MP, Lithuania
99. János Horváth MP, Hungary
100. Rene Bolio, former Senator, Mexico, President of Concertation Mexicana
101. Rosa Díez González MP, Spain
102. Carlos Martínez Gorriarán MP, Spain
103. Álvaro Anchuelo Crego MP, Spain
104. Irene Lozano Domingo MP, Spain
105. Antonio Cantó García del Moral MP, Spain
106. Francisco Sosa Wagner MEP, Spain
107. Carlo Casini MEP, Italy
108. Annelie Enochson MP, Sweden
109. Alf Svensson MEP, Sweden
110. Penilla Gunther MP, Sweden
111. Bi-khim Hsiao MP, Taiwan
112. Yi-Jin Yeh MP, Taiwan
113. Kun-Tse Lee MP, Taiwan
114. Chun-Yi Lee MP, Taiwan
115. Tai-Hua Lin MP, Taiwan
116. Chia-Lung Lin MP, Taiwan
117. Wen-Ling Huang MP, Taiwan
118. Chien-Kuo Liu MP, Taiwan
119. Tuan Yi-Kang MP, Taiwan
120. Yu Mei-Nu MP, Taiwan
121. Ramon Espadaler, Unió Democràtica de Catalunya President of General
Assembly, Catalan Minister of Interior
122. Josep Maria Pelegrí, Unió Democràtica de Catalunya Secretary
General, Catalan Minister of Agriculture
123. Joana Ortega,Unió Democràtica de Catalunya Vice President, Vice
President of Government of Catalonia
124. Salvador Sedó i Alabart, International Relations Secretary, Unió
Democràtica de Catalunya, Member of the European Parliament
125. Josep Sanchez Llibre MP, Spain

www.unwatch.org

UN Watch is a Geneva-based human rights organization founded in 1993 to
monitor UN compliance with the principles of its Charter. It is
accredited as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Special
Consultative Status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and
as an Associate NGO to the UN Department of Public Information (DPI).

Source: "125 Leaders Urge UN: Investigate Cuba Dissident's Death | Scoop
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