2008-03-13
It has been a week in which the Chinese authorities have used the banner of terrorism ahead of the Beijing Olympics as a means of suppressing the rights of minorities such as the Uyghurs of East Turkestan. In response, Members of the European Parliament have taken the opportunity to express their solidarity and support for the ongoing work of Rebiya Kadeer, a campaigner at the forefront of attempts to win the freedoms supposedly guaranteed by China’s constitution. The original signatories of the appeal have found themselves joined by growing numbers of MEPs from countries throughout Europe and of all backgrounds and political colours. It is the sincere hope of all those who have endorsed the appeal that it will find a receptive ear in the People’s Republic of China.
Below is an appeal issued by Members of the European Parliament:
APPEAL IN SUPPORT OF UYGHUR NONVIOLENT LEADER REBIYA KADEER
National Symbol Of Uyghur People
We undersigned Members of the European Parliament express our solidarity to the Uygur people, victim of the age-old oppression perpetrated by the Chinese regimes in East Turkestan (Xinjiang region) and everywhere they are persecuted. In particular, we reassert our support to Rebyia Kadeer, President of the Uygur World Congress, nonviolent leader and Member of the Nonviolent Radical Party transnational and transparty, who served a six-year detention in Chinese jails and to her two sons Alim and Ablikim who are being detained for months.
To seize the opportunity for a possible truce given by the incoming Olympic games and considering that the defence of human and political lights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the best radical tool to counter any form of terrorist aberration, we warmly call on the Chinese Government of the day to drop all accusations which criminalise an entire people and to respect the Pact on Civil and Political Rights of the very Chinese citizens and of all the peoples that live and organize themselves in China.
[…]
The appeal has already been endorsed by over one hundred MEPs:
PANNELLA Marco, CAPPATO Marco, FRASSONI Monica, MORGANTINI Luisa, MAURO Mario, BATTILOCCHIO Alessandro, NAPOLETANO Pasqualina, BOSSI Umberto, SPERONI Francesco, LOSCO Andrea, PITTELLA Gianni, KUSSTATSCHER Sepp, FERRARI Francesco, PRODI Vittorio, COCILOVO Luigi, ZAPPALA Stefano, TOIA Patrizia, PIRILLI Umberto, ALBERTINI Gabriele, BERLINGUER Giovanni, AGNOLETTO Vittorio, BRAGHETTO Iles, DONNICI Beniamino, FAVA Claudio, GUIDONI Umberto, LAVARRA Vincenzo, WATSON Graham, LAMBERT Jean, NEWTON DUNN Bill, FORD Glin, LUDFORD Sarah, MANN Thomas, TRUEPEL Helga, RUEHLE Heide, COHN-BENDIT Daniel, OZDEMIR Cem, SCHROEDTER Elisabeth, CRAMER Michael, HARMS Rebecca, BREYER Hiltrud, SCHUTH Willem, LAMBSDORF Alexander, JARZEMBOWSKI Georg, SCHEELE Karin, SOMMER Renate, GRAEFE ZU BARENGDORF Friedrich Wilhem, HORACEK Milan, POSSELT Bernt, KREISSL-DOERFLER Wolfgang, LIESE Peter, ZIMMER Gabriele, ROMEVA Raul, VALENCIANO ElenaHAMMERSTEIN-MINTZ Daniel, GUARDANS Ignasi, ESTRELA Edite, LIPIETZ Alain, HAZAN Adeline, PRIBETICH Pierre, BOURZAI Bernadette, GEREMEK Bronislaw, ONYSZKIEWICZ Janusz, KULAKOWSKI Jan, STANISZEWSKA Grazyna, SONIK Boguslaw, CASACA Paulo, ANDREYEVS Georgs, JUKNEVICIENE Ona, DEGUTIS Arunas, SAKALAS Aloyzas, PAPADIMALIS Dimitrios, VAN HECKE Johan, DILLEN Koenraad, SZENT IVANYI Istvan, DRCAR MURCO Mojca, LICHTENBERG Ewa, MANESCU Ramona, SCHYLTER Carl, AUKEN Margrete, KACIN Jelko, MAATEN Jules, MATSAKIS Marios, PANAYOTOV VladkoTodorov, BUSK Niels, HENNIS-PLASSCHAERT Jeanine, HARKIN Marian, SCHMIDT Frithzof, FLAUTRE Helene, LAX Hendrik, WILMOTT Glenis, SATU Hassi, GIBAULT Claire, SBARBATI Luciana, DEPREZ Gerard, ONESTA Gerard, DUFF Andrew, HERRERO-TEJEDOR Luis, TURMES Claude, MUSCARDINI Cristiana, LOCATELLI Pia Elda, BUSOI Cristian, ATTWOOL Elspeth, CATANIA Giusto, BORGHEZIO Mario, MCMILLAN SCOTT Edward, PANZERI Antonio, EBNER Michl, MARQUES Sergio, VENTRE Riccardo, UCA Felecnas, JOUYE DE GRANDMAISON Madeleine, KOZLIK Sergej, FERREIRA Anne, KALLENBACH Gisela, ISLER-BEGUIN Anne Marie, GAUBERT Patrick, LULLING Astrid, HYBASKOVA Hana, BOWIS John, LIBICKI Marcin, PINIOR Josef, TOMASZEWSKA Ewa, PLESTINCKA Lia, RIBEIRO E CASTRO José, CASTIGLIONE Giuseppe, BEER Angelika, KARIM Sajjad, MIKOLASIK Miroslav, ROITHOVA Zuzana, COSTA Paolo
