REF.ª: OM/ __ 202 __ /10
LOBITO, 11 August 2010
LOBITO, 11 August 2010
Cc: Mr. President of the Republic of Angola – LUANDA
Mr. President of the Parliament – LUANDA
Mrs. Minister of Justice – LUANDA
Mrs. Minister of Social Communication – LUANDA
Mr. Minister of Administration of the Territory – LUANDA
Mr. Attorney General – LUANDA
Mr. Secretary of State for Human Rights – LUANDA
Mr. Provedor de Justiça – LUANDA
Mr. Special Rapporteur of the United Nations on Human Rights Defenders – Geneva
Mrs. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing – Geneva
Mr. Commissioner for internal displaced people at the African Commission for Human and Peoples’ Rights – Banjul
Srs. Members Social Communication National Council – LUANDA
Mr. Judge President of the Constitutional Tribunal – LUANDA
Mr. Judge President of the Supreme Court – LUANDA
Mr. Judge President of the Tribunal de Contas – LUANDA
Srs. Inhabitants of the Feira do Lobito – LOBITO
Mr. President of the Parliament – LUANDA
Mrs. Minister of Justice – LUANDA
Mrs. Minister of Social Communication – LUANDA
Mr. Minister of Administration of the Territory – LUANDA
Mr. Attorney General – LUANDA
Mr. Secretary of State for Human Rights – LUANDA
Mr. Provedor de Justiça – LUANDA
Mr. Special Rapporteur of the United Nations on Human Rights Defenders – Geneva
Mrs. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing – Geneva
Mr. Commissioner for internal displaced people at the African Commission for Human and Peoples’ Rights – Banjul
Srs. Members Social Communication National Council – LUANDA
Mr. Judge President of the Constitutional Tribunal – LUANDA
Mr. Judge President of the Supreme Court – LUANDA
Mr. Judge President of the Tribunal de Contas – LUANDA
Srs. Inhabitants of the Feira do Lobito – LOBITO
To Mr. President of the MPLA
Subject: Open Letter on the threatening intrusion of MPLA Party in associations’ life and the limitation of space for citizenship promoted by the public organs of social communication
Our best regards.
The association OMUNGA has been following in a direct and preoccupied way the worsening threat coming from the members of your party against associations of human rights defenders in Angola, with special emphasis against our association.
On 10 June 2010, the participants of the IV Camp of Human Rights Defenders from Portuguese-speaking African Countries, organized in Benguela, sent a letter to the Democratic Republic of Congo President, Mr. General Joseph Kabila Kabange, demanding that responsibilities for the assassination of well-known human rights defender Mr. Floribert Chebeya be taken. This shows once again the deep concerns that human rights defenders organizations have about the threats that different governments make against them.
However, this insulting intrusion has been the subject of a large divulgation and propaganda-kind emphasis coming from public social communication organs, without any limitation in this monopolization. This lack of control is what makes us send a copy of this letter to Mrs. Minister of Social Communication and to the National Social Communication Council.
Our association already has insisted innumerous times on the State responsibility to ensure human rights defenders protection through correct information to the public about its important role, which is crucial to the construction of democracy and a State of rights. Recently, we have already had to face such aggressions from Mr. Jaime Azulay, Provincial Secretary of the Specialty Committee for MPLA Journalists (Benguela), who is also the Jornal de Angola provincial director, through Benguela provincial broadcasting agency of the Angolan National Radio (RNA), as well as from the Secretary of Information of MPLA Municipal Committee of Lobito.
Possibly, in the article published in Angop website, on 9 August 2010, entitled “MPLA advises NGOs to assume their responsibilities, and in the article published in Jornal de Angola website, on 10 August 2010, entitled “MPLA criticizes the dubious position in organizations’ service, the attacks do not seem to be so clearly against OMUNGA, but they represent an open threat against human rights defenders, of which OMUNGA is part.
Those threatening positions against freedom of association, freedom of thought and expression, against citizenship and against the promotion of a democratic State of rights, from militants of your party, demand that we turn to the relevant authorities, namely the Republic Presidency, the Parliament, the General Attorney, the Constitutional Tribunal and the Supreme Court, so that they interfere and stop these threats and put the responsibility on these members of your party for any limitation to freedom and rights, including to life, from which OMUNGA or any of its members might suffer. This is the reason why we are addressing this open letter to you.
The latest threats here described refer to the fact that OMUNGA is taking a firmer and more coherent stand against forced evictions of the citizens living in the space called Feira do Lobito, and against the privatization of this public space to build a hotel, as it was made clear by the Provincial Governor of Benguela. We also want to request from Mr. MPLA President explanations about the veracity and legitimacy that your party has to consider itself owner of the Feira de Lobito space, which was so far considered as a public space, and through this, to privatize it at the favor of a third party in a way that Lobito city will not have anymore any collective space as this one. We believe that if your Party is the owner of the space referred to, it will bring to the public, to the inhabitants of Lobito and, especially, to the ones living in the Feira, the necessary documentation. This concern brings us to turn to the President of the Tribunal de Contas, as well as of the Parliament, so that they investigate the possibility of undue alienation of public heritage in the favor of a private entity, with purposes contrary to the space social aim and high costs for the collectivity.
We would like finally to mention that Angola is a member, for the second time, of the United Nations Human Rights Council and that this Council adopted, on 25 March 2010, Resolution 13/13 on the “Protection of Human Rights Defenders”, urging” States to promote a safe and enabling environment in which human rights defenders can operate free from hindrance and insecurity”.
Moreover, on 10 June 2010, within the Universal Periodic Review mechanism of the Human Rights Council, Angola accepted, among others, the following recommendations:
To pursue an open dialogue with human rights defenders, in particular in Cabinda, where, in the aftermath of the recent deplorable attack on the Togolese football team, human rights defenders are reportedly being detained without evidence as to their complicity;
To put in place and enforce measures to protect human rights defenders;
To guarantee human rights defenders full legitimacy and protection, in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders;
To clarify the procedures for the establishment and recognition of associations and non-governmental organizations, and to guarantee their participation in the reform process;
To ensure that the procedures for the registration of civil society organizations are transparent, non-discriminatory and expeditious;
To ensure that opposition parties and civil society organizations are permitted to participate freely in the political process, without fear of retribution;
To respect the activities of civil society organizations, and to ensure that any action taken to regulate human rights organizations is not politically motivated, but based on legal provisions consistent with international human rights standards.
Considering that Mr. President of MPLA will give due attention to what was here referred to and will respond to our concerns,
Yours Sincerely,
José A. M. Patrocínio
General Coordinator
On 10 June 2010, the participants of the IV Camp of Human Rights Defenders from Portuguese-speaking African Countries, organized in Benguela, sent a letter to the Democratic Republic of Congo President, Mr. General Joseph Kabila Kabange, demanding that responsibilities for the assassination of well-known human rights defender Mr. Floribert Chebeya be taken. This shows once again the deep concerns that human rights defenders organizations have about the threats that different governments make against them.
However, this insulting intrusion has been the subject of a large divulgation and propaganda-kind emphasis coming from public social communication organs, without any limitation in this monopolization. This lack of control is what makes us send a copy of this letter to Mrs. Minister of Social Communication and to the National Social Communication Council.
Our association already has insisted innumerous times on the State responsibility to ensure human rights defenders protection through correct information to the public about its important role, which is crucial to the construction of democracy and a State of rights. Recently, we have already had to face such aggressions from Mr. Jaime Azulay, Provincial Secretary of the Specialty Committee for MPLA Journalists (Benguela), who is also the Jornal de Angola provincial director, through Benguela provincial broadcasting agency of the Angolan National Radio (RNA), as well as from the Secretary of Information of MPLA Municipal Committee of Lobito.
Possibly, in the article published in Angop website, on 9 August 2010, entitled “MPLA advises NGOs to assume their responsibilities, and in the article published in Jornal de Angola website, on 10 August 2010, entitled “MPLA criticizes the dubious position in organizations’ service, the attacks do not seem to be so clearly against OMUNGA, but they represent an open threat against human rights defenders, of which OMUNGA is part.
Those threatening positions against freedom of association, freedom of thought and expression, against citizenship and against the promotion of a democratic State of rights, from militants of your party, demand that we turn to the relevant authorities, namely the Republic Presidency, the Parliament, the General Attorney, the Constitutional Tribunal and the Supreme Court, so that they interfere and stop these threats and put the responsibility on these members of your party for any limitation to freedom and rights, including to life, from which OMUNGA or any of its members might suffer. This is the reason why we are addressing this open letter to you.
The latest threats here described refer to the fact that OMUNGA is taking a firmer and more coherent stand against forced evictions of the citizens living in the space called Feira do Lobito, and against the privatization of this public space to build a hotel, as it was made clear by the Provincial Governor of Benguela. We also want to request from Mr. MPLA President explanations about the veracity and legitimacy that your party has to consider itself owner of the Feira de Lobito space, which was so far considered as a public space, and through this, to privatize it at the favor of a third party in a way that Lobito city will not have anymore any collective space as this one. We believe that if your Party is the owner of the space referred to, it will bring to the public, to the inhabitants of Lobito and, especially, to the ones living in the Feira, the necessary documentation. This concern brings us to turn to the President of the Tribunal de Contas, as well as of the Parliament, so that they investigate the possibility of undue alienation of public heritage in the favor of a private entity, with purposes contrary to the space social aim and high costs for the collectivity.
We would like finally to mention that Angola is a member, for the second time, of the United Nations Human Rights Council and that this Council adopted, on 25 March 2010, Resolution 13/13 on the “Protection of Human Rights Defenders”, urging” States to promote a safe and enabling environment in which human rights defenders can operate free from hindrance and insecurity”.
Moreover, on 10 June 2010, within the Universal Periodic Review mechanism of the Human Rights Council, Angola accepted, among others, the following recommendations:
To pursue an open dialogue with human rights defenders, in particular in Cabinda, where, in the aftermath of the recent deplorable attack on the Togolese football team, human rights defenders are reportedly being detained without evidence as to their complicity;
To put in place and enforce measures to protect human rights defenders;
To guarantee human rights defenders full legitimacy and protection, in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders;
To clarify the procedures for the establishment and recognition of associations and non-governmental organizations, and to guarantee their participation in the reform process;
To ensure that the procedures for the registration of civil society organizations are transparent, non-discriminatory and expeditious;
To ensure that opposition parties and civil society organizations are permitted to participate freely in the political process, without fear of retribution;
To respect the activities of civil society organizations, and to ensure that any action taken to regulate human rights organizations is not politically motivated, but based on legal provisions consistent with international human rights standards.
Considering that Mr. President of MPLA will give due attention to what was here referred to and will respond to our concerns,
Yours Sincerely,
José A. M. Patrocínio
General Coordinator
1 comentário:
O Patrocínio foi muito exagerado porque neste assunto o Jaime Azulay teve razão foi ofendido pelo coordenadoer da Omunga que se encontrava embriagado na radio a falar a toa contra o jornaslistas dos orgaos de estado e se tivesse juizo nunca escrevia carta a ninguem porque teve toda culpa no caso
Enviar um comentário