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HRF Urges the Secretary General of OAS to activate the democratic clause
NEW YORK (August 20, 2008)-The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) sent to Jose Miguel Insulza, Secretary General of the OAS an open letter denouncing his inability to fulfill the mandate of the Inter-American Democratic Charter (the Inter-American Charter) in defense of democracy on the continent. Also informed Mr HRF Insulza's launch of its project "American Democratic Charter and Mr. Insulza", which aims to expose, through monthly letters, violations of the Inter-American Charter.
In the letter signed by its President, Thor Halvorssen, and its Secretary General, Armando Valladares, the FRC noted that the governments of Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela have been systematically violating the essential elements of democracy set out in Article 3 of the Inter-American Charter, and that with their demise, Mr. Insulza not only failed in its mandate, but also seems to sympathize with the behavior of these governments.
The violations alleged by the FRC include the closure of one of major television channels in Venezuela and the nationalization of three broadcast television stations and radio stations in Ecuador, more than 40 dead in Bolivia as a result of political violence and the arbitrary adoption of a draft constitution that legalized lynchings in Bolivia, the elimination of judicial independence in Venezuela and Bolivia, and the closure of Congress in Ecuador, and the growing political persecution and government speeches that incite violence in these three countries.
HRF Mr. Insulza recalled that the September 11, 2001 American States adopted the Inter-American Charter, which defines what is democracy and establishing, in the democratic clause, a mechanism to punish not only to governments, to ascend to power without elections, but democratically elected governments that exploit this condition to violate human rights as appear legitimate. Articles 3, 19, 20 and 21 of the Inter-American Charter have a formal procedure to respond to and punish anti-democratic states that can be activated by the Secretary General of the OAS.
"Despite so many violations on the part of Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela, Mr. Insulza continues to deny publicly and in breach of its mandate to enable the democratic clause. Why does not fulfill its obligation?" preguntó Javier El-Hage, Asesor Legal de la HRF. "El artículo 7 de la Carta Interamericana establece que la democracia es 'indispensable' para el ejercicio efectivo de los derechos humanos y las libertades fundamentales en el continente. Sin embargo, la HRF constata diariamente que la lamentable inacción del Secretario General de la OEA sigue agravando la situación de los derechos humanos en el continente. Para intentar revertir esta situación, nosotros laboraremos para promover la activación de la cláusula democrática y denunciar el lamentable papel del Sr. Insulza en la historia de los derechos humanos en América", concluyó.
La Human Rights Foundation (HRF) es una organización internacional, apolítica, dedicated to defending human rights in the Americas. The Foundation focuses its work on the twin concepts of self-determination and freedom. These ideals include high expression in the belief that all human beings have the right to freedom of expression, association with like-minded people. People living in a free society must be accorded equal treatment and due process under the law and must have the opportunity to participate in public affairs of their country. Likewise, HRF's ideals are determined by the conviction that all human beings have the right to be free from arbitrary detention or exile, slavery and torture and from interference and coercion in matters of conscience. The HRF's International Council is composed of individuals who were prisoners of conscience Vladimir Bukovsky, Palden Gyatso, Armando Valladares, Ramón J. Velásquez, Elie Wiesel, and Harry Wu.