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Fifth Assembly - Press
Contacts: Jane Riley Jacobsen (USA)
+3 8 063 651 0298 (English) through 10 April, 2008
or jane@ned.org
Tetiana Azarova ( Ukraine)
+3 8 063 245 37 74 or t.simple.group@gmail.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2008
Monks of Burma, Somali Journalists and Pakistan's Lawyers Honored by World Movement for Demcoracy at Closing of Fifth Assembly in Kyiv, Ukraine
The Fifth Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy, an international conference of more than 550 democracy activists from over 100 countries that met in Kyiv this week, came to a close on Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at the John B. Hurford Memorial Dinner, where Democracy Courage Tributes were presented honor three groups that have carried out their work in particularly difficult circumstances, at great personal risk. The honorees were:
The Legal Community of Pakistan
Pakistan’s President and Army Chief Pervez Musharraf triggered the most severe crisis of his tenure when he sacked the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on March 9, 2007. The ensuing protests by dark-suited lawyers across the country were unprecedented and unexpected. The subsequent police crackdown on the lawyers and other protesters were broadcast live, giving ordinary Pakistanis direct evidence of both civil resistance and the government’s heavy-handed suppression as it occurred. The lawyers’ efforts to promote the rule of law and preserve the sanctity of the Constitution have provided the inspiration and momentum for a broader democratic movement in Pakistan.
The Independent Journalists of Somalia
Over the past year, independent Somali journalists, who are accustomed to working in a difficult and dangerous environment, have come under severe and often deadly threats. The Somali government has carried out a widespread crackdown on journalists, repeatedly shuttering print and broadcast outlets, taking equipment and detaining journalists, often accusing independent stations of siding with anti-government insurgents. But the anger and violence directed against Somali journalists have come from all sides in the conflict, leaving them particularly vulnerable. At least seven Somali journalists have been killed in apparent targeted assassinations in the past year.
The Monks of Burma
Reacting to the suffering of the Burmese people after government-imposed price increases brought impoverished Burmese citizens to their breaking point, revered Buddhist monks led peaceful demonstrations in Burma in July and August 2007. The monks became a powerful symbol of the loss of legitimacy of the ruling junta when they began to refuse alms from members of the military and led protests calling for political reconciliation in the country. Although the demonstrations were met with a brutal crackdown by the Burmese junta, which included the deaths of a still unknown number of protestors and the detention of at least 2,000, the monks’ peaceful protests captured the imagination of both the Burmese people and the international community and hopefully have begun a process of transition in Burma that will eventually lead to democratic rule.
Master of Ceremonies for the evening was World Movement Steering Committee member Mahnaz Afkhami (Iran) who heads the Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace.
Afkhami introduced the first speaker of the evening Robert Miller of the Hurford Foundation, sponsor of the Courage Tributes dinner and generous financial supporter of the World Movment for Democracy. The evening’s dinner is named in honor of the late John Boyce Hurford, an internationalist and philanthropist who played an important role in helping to conceptualize and bring into being the World Movement for Democracy.
The event then turned to the presentation of the awards. The first presentation was made by Steering Committee member and President of the National Endowment for Democracy Carl Gershman, who paid tribute to the Legal Community of Pakistan.
Accepting on behalf of Pakistan’s Legal Community was Syed Muhammad Shah (Pakistan) who was president of the Lahore bar association when the chief justice of Pakistan was removed illegaly on March 9, 2007. Shah, as a represantative of legal community, decided to organize a protest of this action by bringing the lawyers of Lahore out to the street. More than three thousand lawyers marched toward the supreme court. Police tried to stop the peaceful demonstrations and the lawyers were beaten, images of which have been widely distributed in the international press. Shah then arranged a lawyers convention at the high court, where lawyers throughout Pakistan particpated and showed their commitment for restoration of chief justice . On November 3, 2007, in anticipation of protests against the declared state of emergency, Shah and nearly 10,000 other lawyers were arrested. Shah was held in jail for 21 days. When he was released, he again with other lawyers attempted peaceful demonstrations and were again beaten by the police. These courageous demonstrations helped pressure the government to release the Chief Justice after 135 days, and the Lawyers of Pakistan continue to work for the restoration of the judiciary by the newly established government.
The second presentation was made to the Independent Journalists of Somalia, by Steering Committee member Francesca Bamboko (DR Congo), co founder of the Bureau d'Etudes, de Recherche et de Consulting International (BERCI). Accepting the award was Somali journalist Omar Faruk Osman . who was elected in 2002 to be the Secretary General of the Somali Journalists Network (SOJON). Under his leadership, the SOJON became an authoritative and strong voice that defends press freedom and journalists’ rights in the war ravaged Nation. Omar also headed the successful process of transforming SOJON to a trade union movement called the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) in 2005. In 2005, he received on behalf of NUSOJ the RSF International Press Freedom Award honored to the union. In 2006, he was chosen to be a member of the international jury of the RSF Press Freedom Award, and was re-elected to be the Secretary General of NUSOJ. In 2007, the World Congress of the IFJ elected him as a member of the Executive Committee. In September 2007, Omar Faruk Osman was elected as Secretary-General of the Eastern Africa Journalists Association.
In his acceptance speech, Osman said, “This tribute comes at a crucial moment for press freedom, human rights and transitional democratization process in Somalia – a time when death threats, arrests, killings, fears of arrest and intimidation of media professionals are alarmingly common in our country”.
“Continuous attacks on media professionals constitute a terrible assault on press freedom, free society, restoration of peace and democratic governance in our war ravaged country. Concerned about the increasing intolerance towards independent journalism and rising violence against journalists from all sides in the conflict, Somali journalists continue to perform their duty professionally and inform the public, protect their freedoms and rights and to work together to build and maintain public respect for their work and for an independent pluralist media” Omar Faruk declared.
Jose Luis Gascon , executive director of LIBERTAS (Lawyer’s League for Liberty), a Manila-based network of legal professionals committed to reforms in the justice sector and the promotion of freedom, equality, and the rule of law in the Philippines, made the final presentation to the Monks of Burma. Detailing the fearless leadership of the Monks who led peaceful demonstrations against the ruling Junta in July and August of 2007, Gascon quoted from a letter from Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu – supporting Burmese democracy demonstrations in San Francisco timed with the arrival of the Olympic torch – who called the Monks protests “one of the most visible and principled nonviolent movements of our time,” as the monks urged the junta to “treat the Burmese people with loving kindness.
Accepting for the monks were The Venerable Sayadawgyi U Pannya Vamsa and the Venerable U Uttara. The Sayadawgyi, who has built Buddhist monasteries all over the world, is currently the chief monk of the Burmese Buddhist Temple in Penang, Malaysia. He is the Chairman of the International Burmese Monks Organization (IBMO), a worldwide organization of Burmese monks formed after the recent crackdown in Burma. U Uttara, who is currently Secretary General of the International Burmese Monks Organization. He fled Burma after the military junta threatened his life in the wake of the 1988 democratic uprising. He has lived in London since 1992 and became the first ever Buddhist monk appointed as a Buddhist chaplain in the British National Health Service.
In his acceptance speech, Sayadawgi said, “We want to give a voice to our brave brothers and sisters living inside Burma who cannot speak to you directly. They had the courage to continue to oppose the cruelty of the military because they see, every day, how the Burmese people suffer.”
Both Monks urged the international community to stop selling arms to the Burmese junta, and to unite together to end the suffering of the Burmese people. Ending his remarks, and closing the tributes on a most appropriate note, Sawyadawgyi said, “Thank you World Movement for Democracy, thank you organizers, and thank you to the people of Ukraine. After all, saffron is just another shade of orange.”
The evening ended with a rousing and memorable performance by the popular Ukrainian rock band, Mad Heads XL , whose lead singer Vadym Krasnookyi will donate his closing-night performance in support of the Assembly and in solidarity with the assembled activists.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2008
Global Meeting of Democracy Activists to open on April 6 in Kyiv
Media briefing and accreditation on Friday, April 4, 2008
Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko has been invited to address the opening session of the World Movement for Democracy’s Fifth Assembly on Sunday, April 6, at 16:30 at the Ukrainian House in Kyiv. The meeting, which runs April 6-9, is a gathering of more than 500 democracy activists, practitioners and scholars from more than 100 countries who will share experiences and strategies for advancing democracy worldwide.
Confirmed speakers at the opening will include former President of Peru Alejandro Toledo; Maina Kiai, chairperson of the National Commission on Human Rights in Kenya; and journalist Myroslava Gongadze, founder of the Gongadze Foundation, Ukraine. In addition, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, frontman of Okean Elzy, one of Ukraine’s leading bands, and a Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, will take part in the Assembly proceedings, and Vadym Krasnookyi, frontman of another leading band, Mad Heads XL, will donate his closing-night performance with the band in support of the Assembly and the promotion of democracy.
A press conference outlining the goals and activities of the Assembly will be held at 12: 3 0 on Friday, April 4, at UNIAN in Kyiv . Journalists will be briefed by Art Kaufman, Director of the World Movement for Democracy Secretariat, and Inna Pidluska, member ( Ukraine) of the World Movement Steering Committee and Executive Director of the Kyiv-based Europe XXI Foundation, which is serving as the World Movement’s local partner organization. They will be joined by Krasnookyi.
Making Democracy Work: From Principles to Performance is the theme for the biennial Assembly, where participants will take part in a wide range of workshops focusing on both global and regional challenges to the development and defense of democracy. The workshops are designed to produce practical recommendations and initiatives, and to help participants build and strengthen cross-border networks that will advance their work after the Assembly. No declarations or policy statements will be issued. A complete agenda for the Assembly is available online.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2008
Contact: Jane Riley Jacobsen
(202) 378-9700 or jane@ned.org
World Movement for Democracy to Meet in Kyiv
Hundreds of Democracy Activists will Convene April 6-9, 2008
Hundreds of democracy activists, practitioners and scholars from more than 100 countries will convene April 6-9 in Kyiv, Ukraine, for the Fifth Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy. The Assembly, which will be held at Kyiv’s Ukrainian House, begins at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 6. Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko has been invited to present welcoming remarks at the opening session; keynote speakers will include former President of Peru Alejandro Toledo, Maina Kiai, chairperson of the National Commission on Human Rights in Kenya, and journalist Myroslava Gongadze, founder of the Gongadze Foundation, Ukraine,.
Making Democracy Work: From Principles to Performance is the theme for the biennial Assembly, where more than 500 participants will take part in a wide range of practical workshops focusing on both global and regional challenges to the development and defense of democracy. The workshops are designed to produce practical recommendations and initiatives, and to help participants build and strengthen networks that will advance their work after the Assembly. A complete agenda for the Assembly is available online.
The findings of a ground-breaking new report issued by the World Movement in February 2008, Defending Civil Society, will be presented during plenary session and the subject of panel discussions and workshops, providing participants with an opportunity to collaborate in responding to the current backlash against democracy and democracy promotion in countries where recent democratic gains have been eroded, or where authoritarian regimes seek to restrict the space in which civil society organizations carry out their work.
Another highlight of the Assembly will be the presentation of the World Movement’s Democracy Courage Tributes at the John B. Hurford Memorial Dinner on the closing night, April 9th. Three groups that have taken extraordinary risks to promote and protect democratic principles will be recognized; they include the Monks of Burma, Pakistan’s Legal Community, and the Print and Broadcast Journalists of Somalia.
The Europe XXI Foundation, based in Kyiv, is serving as the local partner organization, working with the World Movement Secretariat to organize the Assembly.
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About the World Movement for Democracy
Initiated in 1999 to “strengthen democracy where it is weak, to reform and invigorate democracy even where it is longstanding, and to bolster pro-democracy groups in countries that have not yet entered into a process of democratic transition," the World Movement is a global network that meets periodically to exchange ideas and experiences and uses new information and communication technologies to foster collaboration among democratic forces around the world. It is led by a distinguished international Steering Committee and the Washington, DC-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) currently serves as its Secretariat.
Related Documents:
- Keynote Address by Ms. Myroslava Gongadze
- Opening Address by Kateryna Yushchenko, First Lady of Ukraine: Delivered April 6, 2008
- Biographies of Key Participants
- Defending Civil Society Report – Securing Space for Civil Society Around the World
Available in six languages:
Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish
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