Havana tries to block UN testimony of Oswaldo Paya's daughter, US defeats objections by China, Russia, Pakistan, Nicaragua, Belarus. By UN Watch.
Havana tries to block UN testimony of Oswaldo Paya's daughter, US defeats objections by
China, Russia, Pakistan, Nicaragua, Belarus
By UN Watch.org
March 12, 2013
Daughter of famous Cuban dissident cries foul play; appeal for UN inquiry into his death supported by 46 former presidents and world figures
Rosa Maria Paya took the floor today at the UN Human Rights Council, presenting an appeal by 46 public figures for a UN inquiry into her father's death. Right: Paya hands the appeal to Gianni Magazzeni, senior UN rights official, after she spoke in a NGO meeting with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. Geneva, March 12, 2013. Photo: UN Watch.
GENEVA, March 12, 2013 - US intervention prevented Cuba and its allies from blocking a UN speech today by the daughter of Cuba's top dissident, Oswaldo Paya, allowing her to present an appeal, signed by former world leaders and other public figures, for a UN inquiry into his suspicious death in July.
Rosa Maria Paya spoke in a UN Human Rights Council debate in Geneva, taking the floor on behalf of UN Watch, the human rights group that organized her UN visit and the petition signed by 46 former presidents, foreign ministers, parliamentarians and human rights activists. Click here for joint appeal to UN signed by former presidents of Peru, El Salvador and Uruguay.
The Cuban delegate interrupted her speech, furiously accused her of being a "mercenary," and demanded that the Ecuadoran president stop her from speaking. China, Russia, Belarus, Pakistan and Nicaragua echoed the objection. However, following a strong intervention in her defense by the US delegate, Paya was allowed to continue. Click here for transcript of Paya's UN speech, including the country interventions.
"Rosa Maria Paya is a very brave woman," said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer, "who clearly inherited a lot from her father. This is the first time we've brought a Cuban dissident to speak at the UN who's not in exile, but who rather has to go back to Havana and assume all the risks that come with taking on a police state in which one still lives. I hope she'll be safe."
"The fact that a parade of serial rights abusers rallied behind Cuba to silence a human rights hero only underscored the true nature of Havana's repressive regime," added Neuer.
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Appeal for International Inquiry into the Death of Oswaldo Paya
Published by UN Watch- at March 12, 2013 in Cuba
An open letter to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, and Ambassadors of all Member States
12 March 2013
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 new 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 new 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.Armando Calderon Sol, former President of El Salvador
2.Luis Alberto Lacalle, former President of Uruguay
3.Alejandro Toledo, former President of Peru
4.Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice-President of European Parliament
5.Markus Meckel, , former Foreign Minister of Germany
6.Zbigniew Romaszewski, former Speaker of Polish Senate, a founder of the Solidarity movement
7.Stanislav Shushkevich, former president of Supreme Soviet of Belarus, a current opposition leader in Belarus
8.Arnold Vaatz MP, Deputy Leader CDU, Germany
9.Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson, former Foreign Minister of Iceland
10.Mantas Adomênas MP, Lithuania
11.Laura Alonso MP, Argentina
12.Mbarka Bouaida, former MP, Morocco
13.Philip Claeys MEP
14.Michael Danby MP, Australia
15.Mátyás Eörsi, Secretary-General of Parliamentary Forum for Democracy, former MP, Hungary
16.David Kilgour, former MP, Canada
17.Adam Lipinski MP, former State Secretary of Poland
18.Martin Palouš, former Ambassador, Czech Republic
19.Marija Aušrinė Pavilioniene MP, Lithuania
20.Marco Perduca, Italian Senator, co-vicepresident of Nonviolent Radical Party
21.Janelle Saffin MP, Australia
22.Egidijus Vareikis MP, Lithuania
23.Renate Wohlwend MP, Lichtenstein
24.Emanuelis Zingeris MP, Lithuania, President of Parliamentary Forum for Democracy
25.Hillel Neuer, Executive Director, United Nations Watch
26.John Suarez, International Secretary, Cuban Democratic Directorate
27.Carl Gershman, President, the National Endowment for Democracy
28.Ken Wollack, President, National Democratic Institute
29.Zohra Yusuf, Chairperson, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
30.Yang Jianli, President, Initiatives for China
31.Carlos E. Ponce, General Coordinator, Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy
32.Faisal Fulad, Secretary General, Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society
33.Art Kaufman, Senior Director, World Movement for Democracy, National Endowment for Democracy
34.Alessandro Pettenuzzo, European Union of Public Relations
35.Lehlohonolo Chefa, Executive Director, Policy Analysis and Research Institute of Lesotho
36.Anki Flores, Former Secretary-General of the Antiracism Information Service, Geneva
37.Shauna Leven, Director, René Cassin organization
38.Bhawani Shanker Kusum, Executive Director, Gram Bharati Samiti, India
39.Duy Hoang, Spokesperson, Viet Tan
40.Dickson Ntwiga, Executive Director, Solidarity House International Foundation
41.Nazanin Afshin-Jam, President, Stop Child Executions
42.Atamao B T Kane, President, Southpanafrican International
43.Okay Machisa, Zimbabwe Human Rights Association
44.Obinna Egbuka, President, Youth Enhancement Organization
45.International Multiracial Shared Cultural Organization
46.Zofia Romaszewska, one of the founders of Solidarity movement, Poland
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Cuba tries to block UN speech by Oswaldo Paya’s daughter
Published by UN Watch- at March 12, 2013 in Cuba.
Statement by UN Watch to UN Human Rights Council, Agenda Item 4
Delivered by Rosa Maria Paya, 12 March 2013
Thank you, Mr. President.
My name is Rosa Maria Payá, member of the Christian Liberation Movement and daughter of its national coordinator, Oswaldo Payá, opposition leader and Sakharov Prize laureate of the European Parliament.
My father dedicated his life to working for legal and nonviolent change for Cubans to enjoy all basic human rights.
He promoted the Varela Project, a referendum supported by over 25,000 citizens, who have defied repression to demand legal reforms that guarantee freedom of expression, freedom of association, free elections, freedom of nonviolent political prisoners and the right to own private enterprises.
The government has so far refused to allow this plebiscite, and it imprisoned the majority of its leaders.
Yosvani Melchor Rodríguez is 30 years old, and has spent three years in prison as a punishment for his mother being a member of our movement.
Cuban authorities said that my father and Harold Cepero, a youth activist, died in a traffic accident. But after interviewing the survivors, we confirmed that their deaths were not accidental.
[Cuban delegate Juan Quintanilla starts banging on his desk.]
President of the Session (UNHRC Vice President Luis Gallegos Chiriboga, ambassador of Ecuador):
There is a point of order from the delegation of Cuba.
Cuba (Juan Quintanilla):
Thank you, Mr. President. I apologize for the noise in the room but it was necessary to interrupt the statement by the mercenary who has dared to come to this room. We would like to ask, Mr. President, if this debate on Item 4 refers to general questions that may show a pattern of violations of human rights, or whether it is also to be used to address specific issues such as what is being done now by the mercenary, who has been taking the floor at this juncture. We have this concern, Mr. President, and we would be very grateful if you could clarify things for us and if you could show this to the mercenary who is delivering a statement. Thank you.
United States:
Thank you Mr. President. We highlight that the US firmly believes that NGOs must be permitted to speak in the Council. The member states, including the United States, may occasionally disagree with the content of a NGO statement. It is essential that civil society voices be heard here in an atmosphere of open expression. Without addressing the substance of what the speaker was saying, we are of the opinion that what we have heard of the intervention so far is addressed to the subject matter at hand before this Council under item 4. Mr. President, we respectfully ask that you rule that the speaker be allowed to finish her presentation. Thank you.
China: Thank you, Mr. President. The Chinese delegation believes that the concern of the Cuban delegation is valid. I hope, Mr. President, that you will seriously consider the request by the Cuban delegation. Thank you.
Russia: Thank you, Mr. President. Our delegation would like to support what is being said by the delegation of Cuba, objecting to the procedure being used for conducting the meeting. We would like to ask you to appeal to the representative of the NGO which is speaking to adhere to the established rules of procedure for the Council and the agenda as established. Thank you very much.
Pakistan: We support the point of order raised by the Cuban delegation. Thank you.
Nicaragua: My delegation is asking for the floor to support the request put forward by Cuba in its point of order. Thank you very much.
Belarus: Mr. President, the delegation of Belarus joins the well-founded statement on the point of order and procedural issues as raised by the delegation of Cuba. Thank you.
President: I would like to remind the organizations that are speaking that we are on Agenda Item 4, the human rights situations which require attention in the Council, and that they confine to that subject matter in their statements.
[Paya then resumed her statement.]
Thank you, Mr. President.
The driver of the car told the Washington Post that they were intentionally rammed from behind. The text messages from the survivors on the day of the event confirm this.
The Cuban government’s state security calls my family home in Havana, saying: “We’re going to kill you.” These are the same death threats that were made to my father. I want to be clear: The physical integrity of all members of my family is the responsibility of the Cuban government.
Today I wish to present this appeal, signed by 46 political leaders and activists from around the world. We urge the United Nations to launch an independent investigation into the death of my father.
The truth is essential to the process of reconciliation that is necessary for a transition to democracy in Cuba. We do not seek revenge. But we have a right to know:
Who is responsible for the death of my father?
When will the people of Cuba finally enjoy basic democracy and fundamental freedoms?
Thank you, Mr. President.
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